Just a Kiss Away
by papervalentine
Summary: After Emma rescues Regina from the fire and becomes sheriff, her relationship with Regina comes to a begrudging stalemate and then something more. The two women start sleeping together but Regina has one caveat: No kissing on the lips. Set in Season 1 with canon-divergence.
1. The Invitation

When Emma Swan gave her baby up for adoption, she truly believed that it was his best chance in life. And she still firmly believed it. The newly 18 year old with a criminal record, no job prospects, and no concept of family could not have possibly been the best option for the uncorrupted infant. But if asked the life she imagined for him it would have involved a kindly mother with large doe eyes and a penchant for cardigans, a father with an easy grin and love of football, and maybe a Golden Retriever named Hank or Buddy that slept at the foot of his bed.

In the first few years after her baby was gone and she was alone once again, Emma couldn't stop thinking about him, causing her chest to ache with an emptiness that she didn't think was possible. The only thing that could give her solace was thinking of a little boy with soft brown hair and her smile, but a smile untarnished by abandonment and pain, in a happy home. So of all the scenarios she dreamed up for him her mind had never conjured up a woman like Regina Mills. Though maybe that was a good thing, she considered.

Despite Henry's currently tumultuous relationship with his adoptive mother, she must have done something right because he turned out to be a pretty great kid. He was kind, imaginative, and smart; so much smarter than Emma had been much to her relief. Her education had been dismal at best with haggard teachers just trying to get through a class with their sanity intact and apathetic foster parents who couldn't be bothered with parent-teacher conferences because it would interrupt their drinking schedule or why invest the time into a young stranger they didn't intend to keep. The younger version of herself just kept her head down, barely speaking and barely passing each grade. To this day she still was horrible with numbers and avoided writing when she could. She worried that she may have passed on her inferior genetics to him, that he would be slow in school, but he was bright and inquisitive like children should be.

What she liked most about Henry though was his capacity to love and how he did so freely with no reservation. The boy would make Marco laugh with old knock-knock jokes when he looked particularly sad. He told Ruby he like her smile best and he made Granny a picture in art class, which she proudly hung behind the counter. Henry liked to help Dr. Hopper with Pongo and he could even make Leroy secretly grin (on the inside of course) with just an overly enthusiastic wave and hello. And then in the few instances, when he wrapped his string bean arms around her torso for an unexpected, tight hug it took her breath away. She was in awe of this little person who had come from her and yet didn't reflect any of her scars or pain that she surely would have unintentionally impressed upon him had she been the one to raise him. He was perfect and she would not want to change a single thing about him, including his mother.

"Sheriff." Only one person could say her title with that much shrewd apathy. Her eyes shot up from staring at her coffee cup to find the very woman she had been thinking about standing in front of her, looking unimpressed as usual.

"Madame Mayor." She greeted her warily, her gaze shifting around the diner to see if she were doing something wrong, as that was generally the only reason the mayor ever deemed fit to speak with her. Then she saw Regina's red smirk, obviously amused that she could make the other woman squirm with only a word and her imperial stare. Emma huffed to herself, reminded that she was a grown adult and would not be intimidated so easily. She straightened her posture and held eye contact, "Is there something I can help you with?"

The brunette's grin widened, apparently equally pleased with Emma in her ability to stand up to her. "I hope I'm not interrupting your… breakfast."

She said the last word in a tone that would suggest calling her untouched bear-claw something edible let alone breakfast was generous of her. The sheriff was surprised to find her meal was left uneaten, her favorite food lost to her roaming thoughts. She found that it didn't appeal to her much anymore and pushed her plate away, "I guess I'm not as hungry as I thought."

"Yes, well, it's occurred to me that I've been rude." Emma nearly choked on her coffee expertly kept warm by Ruby, having been mid sip at the announcement. She managed to veil her shock by hiding momentarily behind the brim of the mug.

She cleared her throat of any lingering liquid, "And how is that?"

"You did rescue me from a burning building the other day, albeit it was your fault the fire was started in the first place."

Emma quickly made to defend herself, "I didn't know Mr. Gold would-"

But Regina waved her hand dismissively cutting her off. "It's neither here nor there. I realized, however, that I had not expressed any gratitude on the matter."

"Oh." She blinked owlishly for a moment. "Well, you're welcome."

"This isn't the thank you Ms. Swan." The older woman's irritation flared.

"Okay…" Thoroughly confused she waited for further explanation.

"I want to thank you by inviting you to dinner. Tonight if you're agreeable." This time the sheriff was unable to conceal her surprise as her jaw dropped open. Her mouth opened and closed a few times before she was able to find her words.

"Dinner? Like at your house? With you and Henry?"

The mayor narrowed her dark eyes impatiently, "Yes, my house with Henry and I seeing as we live there. Unless you'd like yet another grease-laden meal at this fine dining establishment."

Her words dripped with sarcasm. Emma sighed. This whole interaction was proving to be more trouble than she really wanted especially this early in the morning, and was making her rethink her stance on Regina as Henry's mother. She almost started to decline her offer, saying it really wouldn't be necessary. After all, they could barely interact for five minutes without grating on each other's nerves let alone for the duration of an entire meal. But instead she found herself ignoring the tart comment and giving the woman a faint, obliging smile. "That sounds really great. What time should I be over?"

"Dinner will be at 6." She declared with the obvious but unstated implication that there would be no debate over the time. If the older woman had been anticipating a rejection, her expression did not betray her. She remained unruffled.

"Okay." Emma nodded, "See you then."

"See you then." Regina parroted at her. Of course she couldn't resist punctuating with a perfectly arched eyebrow, "And don't be late. Henry has a strict school schedule to adhere to."

Before she could respond, the brunette was gone with a twirl of her long, black dress coat; leaving behind a delicate breeze of expensive perfume as well as the perplexed sheriff. Emma's shoulders drooped, releasing a tension that she had not realized gathered there. Her dealings with Regina were always as such, fraught with tension. They seemed to prowl around each other like alley cats, untrusting and ever watching for a misstep, causing the other to uncoil and lash out with a clawed phrase.

Glancing at the clock on the wall, Emma realized she didn't have much time to ruminate on her, at best, tenuous relationship with the mayor. She needed to be getting to the sheriff's station to start taking calls. Mrs. Ginger liked to start phoning the department promptly at 9 o'clock every day about some newly invented plight from missing garden gnomes to neighbor's cars parked in front of her house or maybe Pongo chasing the ducks in her pond again. And if she didn't answer the elderly woman would call Regina's office, which meant Emma would be getting an earful from the mayor about tardiness and how to properly do her job or she would find someone who could; a threat that she heard often enough without any provocation.

Abandoning her staling donut and cooling coffee she left money on the table. She waved goodbye to Ruby who grinned back at her as she was trying to take Tom the pharmacist's breakfast order but he kept having sneezing fits. Emma dipped out of the diner with the jingle of bells laughing behind her at this twist of fate.


	2. On Time and Red Wine

Emma stared at the door in front of her and nervously twisted a bottle of wine in her hands as she gathered the courage to knock.

Her day at the station had been unusually bland even by Storybrooke's standards. The town wasn't a particularly bustling metropolis that required much tending to but there was usually something to pull her away from her desk. Cliché cats in trees, teenagers spray painting graffiti or getting caught shoplifting, and mild domestic disputes were her bread and butter, that and hauling in Leroy for public intoxication multiple times a week to sleep off his bender in the drunk-tank. But it too early for Leroy to start drinking and all else was quiet throughout the town. Even Mrs. Ginger only called her twice to complain that her hot water was out and both times Emma patiently, then not so patiently, explained that she needed to call a plumber not the Sheriff's station. So with her two regulars uncharacteristically lacking in their attention requiring behaviors, she was consigned to desk duty.

Normally she would be glad for the minor break in the often-tedious dealings with the eccentric townsfolk. Today however it only left her time to deal with her arch-nemesis also known as paper work and anxiously think of the looming dinner with her, at times, other arch-nemesis Regina.

She had come to the conclusion that she really wanted the dinner to go well. Mostly for Henry but she tired of constantly being at odds with his mother and current employer for that matter. She wasn't sure how things had gotten so out of hand with them, perhaps she was really was getting caught up in all of the boy's fairytale nonsense.

Emma still could not begin to wrap her head around his outlandish stories centering on her being the long, lost daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming. But Dr. Hopper had cautioned to not destroy his fantasy life and the normally pragmatic woman realized that all of the make believing she had been doing might have started to go to her head. Falling into the complex plot had been easy, like slipping on one of her guises to catch an elusive fugitive. Emma found herself wanting to be the hero, teaming up with Henry and righting all of the wrongs in Storybrooke. The role fit her like a glove; she wasn't precariously teetering around in 6-inch heels or squirming uncomfortable in scratchy, stiff business suits. Her leather jacket and favorite jeans suited everyone just fine as she went about town as the Sheriff; she felt more like herself than she had in quite some time.

But with all her heroic efforts, someone had to be painted as the villain and Regina had been cast the part, acting as the bad guy to hers and Henry dynamic duo. She had been so focused on looking for the bad in Regina that she might unintentionally have ignored the good. She hoped that this would be an opportunity to clear the air and establish a better understanding with Regina.

But first she had to knock. The blonde rapped her knuckles against the smartly whitewashed wood and immediately stood back to wait. It didn't take long for the door to swing open to reveal Henry grinning from ear to ear, "Emma you came!"

He practically bounced up and down with excitement and Emma laughed lightly, "Of course kid. I never turn down free food."

Henry let her inside but grabbed her wrist to stop her from walking further into the foyer. She stopped and looked down at him, mildly startled to see him looking so urgently at her as he began to half-whisper, "What do you think my mom is up to?"

"What do you mean?"

"Why is she inviting you to dinner? She has to have some ulterior motives." He said persistently.

Emma shook her head as she determined not to get swept up in his theories. Henry must be the only ten-year-old who used terms like 'ulterior motives'. She leaned down to be eye level with him, "Your mom invited me to say thanks. Remember the accident with the fire. She wants to show her appreciation, that's all."

His expression gave her the impression that he thought she had just fallen off the turnip truck and was spot on for a look she had seen Regina give her several times. Henry stubbornly pressed, "But she's the Evil-"

"No kid." The sheriff interrupted him. "Not everything has to be about fairytale revenge and evil plots."

He became crestfallen, his gaze fell to the floor in disappointment and Emma knew this was exactly how he got her to go along with all of his schemes. She gently touched his shoulder to pull his eyes back to her, "Henry, I know things are tough right now. You're mom gets scared when you pull away from her and it makes her seem angry. She is trying to figure out where I can fit into your life and her life. Hell, I'm still trying to figure it out. So I need you to cut your mom some slack here. Can you do that for me?"

"I don't understand." His eyebrows wrinkled with confusion. "You're here to save us. You have to defeat the evil queen."

"You said it's my job to bring back the happy endings, right?" He nodded solemnly as she continued, "But you don't know how I'm supposed to do that."

Emma waited for another nod of confirmation from him before she proceeded, "Well I'm not exactly an expert on happiness Henry. But maybe we need to start by making other people happy, including your mom."

His head cocked to the side and furrowed his brow at her like a confused puppy but she just smiled softly at him and stood up to her full height, "Think about it kid. Let's just try to have a nice normal dinner. No talk of princesses or goblins or Big Foot at the table."

"Emma, there's no such thing as Big Foot." He rolled his eyes at her but couldn't quite contain his smile.

"Oh my mistake." Of course he believed she was the daughter of Snow White but apparently Big Foot was ridiculous. She shrugged and bumped into him playfully, hoping to shake away some of the doom and gloom prophesy mood he was prone to sink into. Suddenly Regina breezed into the foyer, wearing a pristine apron that had clearly never seen a splash of food on it over her navy shirt and gray, wool slacks; ever the perfect balance of good housewife and powerful businesswoman.

"Hello, so glad you could make it." The older woman seemed tense but also determined to paint on a smile as she looked down on them from the elevated landing. "Henry, have you offered to take our guest's coat?"

Henry dutifully reached his arms out as Emma shrugged out of her army green parka that she had worn. She had decided to walk over in attempts to calm her nerves and needed the extra warmth as the Maine temperature dipped lower in the evening. After hanging up the heavy jacket, Regina was ready for him with another request, "Now please go set the table. We'll be in momentarily."

The boy looked prepared to protest but a simple arched eyebrow had him stamping up the few steps and shuffling off into the dining room to comply but his pout let them know he was not pleased about it. With Henry gone, it left Regina to turn her dark stare to Emma, "Ms. Swan, I didn't realized you owned any pants that weren't made out of denim."

Given all of her time to fret today the blonde had decided to put forth a little more effort to her attire than her standard jeans and leather jacket combination. She had decided on wearing black slacks though they were still a slender cut and a knit sweater with gray and white stripes. It was nice but still comfortable and causal enough without drawing attention to her choice, or so she thought. Regina seemed to have a knack for detail however and the change didn't go unnoticed. Before Emma could stop herself she replied back sassily, "I didn't realize my pants were under such scrutiny."

"It's a small town. There aren't many pants worth scrutinizing." Regina shrugged acting bored but Emma could see the amusement sparkling in her eyes. The statement gave her pause. If she didn't know any better she would say the older woman was flirting with her as her unwavering gaze seemed to travel up and down her form. She had seen Regina do this before, generally with a judgmental sneer but replaced with that ghost of a smile the act was down right playful. Emma considered her options, her first instinct was to flash a cheeky grin and ask her hostess if she enjoyed what she was scrutinizing but she thought better of it. She wasn't sure she was ready for the repercussions of it. Instead she changed the subject.

"I brought wine." It was one of the more expensive bottles from the grocery store. A cabernet sauvignon, vintage like most things in Storybrooke. "I don't know what you normally drink but I guessed red."

Finally ascending the stairs she was mostly eye level with the brunette though Regina seemed taller still donning her high heels while Emma had opted for simple flats for her trek over. She handed off the glass bottle and Regina glanced at the label. "Good guess. This will pair nicely dinner."

Suddenly turning, Regina strutted away as she was prone to do, leaving Emma with nothing to do but follow. They entered the dining room, as Henry was finishing up his chore. "Thank you Henry. Ms. Swan you may take a seat. I'll just go open this."

The sheriff sat on one of the cream-cushioned chairs at the large, round table. The deep-chestnut surface was already covered with appetizing dishes including a steaming pan of lasagna, roasted asparagus, and French bread brushed with garlic and butter. Henry hopped into his seat as well and they both waited for his mother to return. Regina came back missing her apron and hold two fine-stemmed wine glasses in one hand and the cabernet in the other. She first hovered by Emma to pour the burgundy liquid into the spotless crystal. She was better able to smell the complex fragrance the woman wore with notes of rose hips, amber, and cinnamon, then when she had gotten the subtle trace of it in the diner earlier that afternoon. She found it quite intoxicating as the woman glided away to the seat directly across from her and elegantly lowered herself onto the chair.

These were the times that Emma could actually believe that the mayor had been some sort of queen, evil or not. The way she moved with such grace and poise screamed of sophistication that the former bail bonds person could never fathom achieving. She must have come from a family with an impressive lineage and a lot of money, also considering Regina's expensive taste in everything from home décor to her impeccable wardrobe. She had probably even gone to some finishing school with proper manners like hers while Emma had barely finished high school. "Ms. Swan, would you like to start plating your food?"

Emma realized she had spaced out as her attention snapped back to the Mills family sitting in front of her. She quickly reached for the first platter, the asparagus, and forked some of the green stalks onto her plate. She passed it to Henry who scrunched his nose at it and tried to surreptitiously slip it off to Regina without taking any. The practiced mother was not fooled as she pointedly dropped some of the vegetables onto his plate before taking her own portion. The room was silent expect for the gentle clinking of silverware on ceramic as they scooped the cheesy noodles and grabbed slices of bread still warm from the oven. Emma looked at her heaping plate, "Everything looks really good."

"Thank you. Lasagna is one of my specialties."

"Mmm." Emma moaned into her first bite. "I'd say. This is delicious."

"Thank you." Regina murmured again as she took a dainty sip of the wine. She hummed in approval at the blend encouraging Emma to pick up her glass as well. The selection she made was quite good as the mildly sweet, heady flavor complimented the slight kick of the lasagna. Before she could comment the brunette spoke again, "How was school Henry?"

"Fine." He barely looked up from his meal.

"Just fine? I saw Mary Margret leaving the apartment with enough craft supplies for a small crafting army. You had to have done something." Emma shot him a meaningful look for him to try harder than that.

He caught on and looked thoughtful for a moment before saying, "We're making birdhouses for an art project, that's what all of the supplies where for. I don't know why the birds care if they have glitter on their houses though."

"An excellent thought." Regina said clearly not impressed with the project as she lower her voice further muttering something about inadequate teaching techniques.

Emma chuckled, "Jeez guys, I'm sure it's just supposed to be fun. Lighten up."

"It was pretty fun, especially after we do our multiplication tables." Henry admitted. "Those are so boring."

"I can agree with you there, kid."

"Multiplication tables are important." Regina lectured.

"I know Mom." Henry puffed in annoyance. "It's easy and predictable though. It's boring."

"Too easy?" The mayor perked up. "Are you not being challenged enough?"

The boy only ticked his shoulders up with little concern and pushed around his uneaten vegetables. Emma piped up, "I can mention it to Mary Margret. I bet she could give you some extra material."

"I think that-" Regina began but Emma rushed to cut her off.

"I mean, or you can, that is totally your call. Maybe at the next parent-teacher conferences or something." She began to backpedal, suddenly feeling like she was over stepping her bounds. The blonde hoped to keep the evening light and casual, but it would not do to have her reminding Regina that her son had an auxiliary mother lurking around.

"I was going to say I think that's a wonderful idea. I appreciate the offer."

Emma was pleasantly surprised to find that Regina was entirely unperturbed and actually grateful for the suggestion. "Oh. Well, I'll be sure to say something."

"It makes the most sense, since after all you live with the woman. Though I don't know how you can stand to be around all of that pastel." She explained but not without attaching a glib remark to it.

Emma laughed in genuine amusement at the jab aimed towards her roommate. Regina might have softened up for the moment but she was still Regina, unable to completely keep her snide comments at bay. And, if she was being honest, Mary Margret did have a certain fondness for soft colors and overly cutesy knick-knacks centered on woodland creatures that adorned her apartment. "It's a struggle. I may have to stage an intervention soon. Get her into NA."

"Narcotics Anonymous?" Her brow dipped in confusion.

"Neutrals Anonymous." Emma corrected with a joking grin. Now Regina laughed unexpectedly with delight and instantly the sheriff felt lighter somehow. It had to be the first time she heard true laughter from the older woman. The sound was absolutely musical, coming from low in her chest and singing out from her mouth, like a choir filling a cathedral.

"Um, I don't want to do extra work." Henry groaned breaking the spell of Regina's laughter.

"It'll be good for you Henry." His mother said, the mirth draining from her voice and adopting a no-nonsense tone as if that would be the end of the discussion.

"Don't think of it as extra work. Think of it as getting ahead. Maybe you'll even be able to skip a grade." Emma gave him a more positive spin on the idea.

He seemed happier to accept this concept, his eyes widened at the thought, "Really?"

"Kid, you're so smart. I think you can do anything you put your mind to." In her head, she ruefully added, including convincing her to leave her whole life in Boston for some rinky-dink town in nowhere Maine. Not that she had much of a life to speak of in the city to leave behind.

"You think I can Mom? Do you think I'm smart enough?" He turned his earnest gaze to his mother who appeared startled that her opinion was pertinent to the matter. Emma wanted to shake the both of them silly sometimes. It was so clear to her how important they were to each other but somewhere along the way they lost the ability to communicate that.

Regina only gave the briefest hesitation before she caught up with his question. "Of course you are. You're more than capable to rise to the challenge."

"I'll think about it." Henry concluded as sniffed a stalk of asparagus speared on her fork, taking the smallest bite he could manage.

Emma decided it was time to ease up on the kid for a while, "So Regina, how was your day?"

"My day?" Regina once again seemed baffled that someone was taking the time to actually converse with her. The sheriff wondered when the last time she had a real conversation with someone. She noted that most people tended to avoid the intimidating mayor or hurry away as soon as they were given permission to leave. Emma imagined that it would get rather lonely. A feeling she was all too familiar with. She pushed the negative thoughts aside and pressed the woman for information.

"Yes, how was your day? What did you do?"

"It was fine. Just a regular day."

"You run an entire town and you just had a fine, regular day?"

"Well, I started with reading over the new legislation that the state department faxed over concerning traffic law updates that I need to sign. I had a meeting with Dr. Whale regarding renovations required for the hospital. Then I started preparing for the upcoming budget report the rest of the day." She rattled off her day's activities in her light, matter of fact demeanor. "Pretty standard business."

"Oh," Was all Emma could muster up, feeling overwhelmed just listening to all of the work that Regina had to accomplish.

"And I thought multiplication tables were boring." Henry interjected. Both women paused before they laughed with their son.


	3. Night Caps

Henry laughed as Emma's car fell off the road yet again, just as his car zoomed into first place; the little character on the screen started a victory dance. "You're horrible at this."

Not that it really mattered seeing that she had been in last place anyways. Regina did nothing to hide her amused smile at the blonde's losing streak as she had yet to win since they began playing the racing videogame. But Emma remained undeterred and jovial at all of her defeats, "Not all of us have had that much practice. You didn't lap me this time at least."

Regina sat up on the couch, pretending to read the Storybrooke Daily Mirror, which had yet another fluff piece on the mayor's office, while Emma had camped out on the floor of the living room with Henry in front of the television. After they had finished the peach cobbler and fresh-whipped cream that had served as dessert, she had insisted that they go and leave her to cleaning up from dinner. Her guest had been reluctant to leave her to the task, but one pleading look from Henry to play with him and she allowed herself to be dragged off.

It hadn't taken long for to have everything packaged away in Tupperware and the dishwasher running. She grabbed the paper intending to read it, to see what new rousing epithets about her Sidney Glass had come up with in the latest article. His words though meaningless to her did have their moments of entertainment. She liked to make sure the journalist was still completely infatuated with her therefore still under her thumb. But as she slid onto the couch trying to go unnoticed, Emma had turned for a second to give her a fleeting smile, an action that sent her zigzagging racecar smashing into a wall. After that the brunette found her eyes wandering away from the page to the pair in front of her. She watched Henry constantly having to remind Emma about the controls and the sheriff attempting to cheat by jostling the boy mischievously with her shoulder, though her plans had yet to be successful.

"You know this is nothing like driving a real car." Emma waved the purple controller that had been delegated to her. "You would be horrible at that."

"Aren't you horrible at driving a real car as well?" Regina spoke for the first time.

"I'm a good driver." The blonde defended, but she lacked any real irritation at the accusation.

"The town's signage wouldn't agree." She shot her a teasing smile.

"That wasn't my fault. There was a- you know what I don't need to explain myself." Emma rolled her eyes when she realized she was being messed with. Regina didn't know why she enjoyed getting a rise out of Emma so much but it was the most fun she has had in a while.

Henry cared less about the good-natured mockery of his birth mother and more about his videogame, "Let's go again."

"It's 8:30." Regina shook her head. "It's time to start getting ready for bed."

"But Mom…"

"Bedtimes are non-negotiable." She gave him a sharp look, hoping it would quell any further rebellion. She missed the days when Henry would be excited for bedtime because it meant baths with his rubber duck and nightly stories from his Mommy. Henry would pick a book off the shelf, usually Harold and the Purple Crayon, and they would snuggle on his bed, the small boy pressed into her side as she read. He would try his hardest to stay awake with rapt attention and wide eyes but inevitably his eyelids would begin to droop and he would slip into the deep slumber only children could achieve. Regina would always finish the story anyways, taking the time to watch him sleep and be totally in awe of the little person she loved so much. Now she had to wait and sneak into his room at night if she wanted to catch a glimpse of her son in such a peaceful state.

Unfortunately Henry looked prepared to further state his grievances as he took a telltale gulp of defiant air, generally indicating that he was not going to simply let it go. The mother geared up for battle but Emma swooped in saving them both the trouble.

"You heard your mom, kid." If Emma was aware of the tension that had gathered between mother and son she did not let on. Her tone was light, boarding on cheerful. "It's bedtime."

Henry deflated slightly, looking miffed that the blonde had apparently sided with the enemy. However, it didn't stop him from asking, "Can Emma stay and say goodnight?"

Regina stiffened at the request and she caught Emma cringe out of the corner of her eye, apparently anticipating a bad reaction. And she wasn't wrong. The brunette did not want to share anymore of her time with Henry than she already had. She was about to say absolutely not, however the expression on Emma's face thwarted her denial. The younger woman looked vaguely like a puppy that would do anything to just tag along, eyes soft and pleading complete with her head inclined ever so slightly to the right. Regina couldn't get the word no to pass her lips at the sight and she found herself uncharacteristically agreeing, "If Ms. Swan is amiable to the idea, then I don't see why not."

"Yes! Come on Emma. I want to show you my room." He was scampering off the carpet, pulling up the blonde who was less spry than the 10-year-old.

"Make sure he brushes his teeth well." She called after them. Emma could only nod briefly before Henry had quickly tugged her away toward the stairs. Regina remained seated on the couch, unable to face the scene that was playing out on the second story. She could hear them shuffle around, Henry chattering incessantly even with his mouth full of foamy toothpaste. She tried not to feel slighted that it was once her job to oversee her son's nighttime routine, not that he really needed the supervision anymore, but she wanted to be included in his life once again.

Slowly the woman rose from her spot and went to click off the television that Henry had left on in his hurry to scamper off. She climbed the stairs also needing to switch off the bathroom light. Preparing to scold him on the importance of conserving electricity, she finally moved towards his bedroom. However the admonishments died on her lips as she peaked around the doorframe.

Emma was hovering by Henry's bedside, clearly at a loss as to what to do. Her son was already under the covers showing the blonde a Captain America comic, oblivious to her discomfort. Regina knew her boy had quite the capacity for gabbing, probably because she had encouraged his talking so much when he was growing. Silence had been the absolute rule in her childhood home; children were to be seen rarely and not heard at all. Her mother enforced this strictly and cruelly as she did with all her rules. Regina couldn't stand the thought of stifling her son like that as she determined to fill her halls and rooms with his voice and laughter. Even now she had to smile at his easy conversation, even if it wasn't aimed at her.

He began to wind down though, giving Emma a chance to speak. "You've got a real nice set up here kid."

"It's pretty good." He agreed but his eyes traveled around the room casually like his books and action figures were not all that impressive. It was all he'd ever known; her son did not realize that not every child grew up wanting for nothing. He had yet to conceive that a child could go to bed hungry, let alone without the latest edition of Avenger comic book.

Regina couldn't see Emma's face but she heard a wry chuckle as she agreed. "Yeah, pretty good."

Henry bit his lip, suddenly catching some of the woman's awkwardness, realizing that this was uncharted territory for the both of them. Finally he spoke, "I liked having dinner with you and Mom."

"I liked it too."

"Do you think she'll let you come over again?"

"I hope so." Regina had never heard the sheriff's voice quite so small.

"Goodnight, kid. Sleep tight." The vulnerability vanished in an instant and she was headstrong, confident Emma Swan again, ruffling her Henry's hair with a carefree ease. Regina backed away so they would not know she had been listening. She moved just in time as the blonde nearly bolted out of the bedroom. Passing Regina with a nod of recognition, she hurried down the hall to the stairs. The older woman watched her go for a moment before she made her way in to have her turn to say goodnight to her son. She sat on the edge of his bed, combed his hair back into place, and warned him against staying up too late reading, because she was his mother.

/

When she came back downstairs, Regina was not sure if she would find Emma still there. But she was in the foyer, her hands shoved into her pockets and apparently absorbed in staring at her shoes. The brunette's presence went unnoticed and she considered what to do with her guest. A big part of her wanted to send her off with a crisp goodbye and her signature icy glare to promptly forget about the whole dinner. However, another part of her, a smaller yet more insistent part, said to invite her to stay a while longer.

The mayor knew this could be a monumentally bad idea. It was bad enough she had given the invitation to dinner in the first place. After all, the woman standing before her had the potential to ruin everything she worked so hard for and sacrificed so much to create. She was the Evil Queen and Emma the prophesized Savior, yet here she was allowing the woman to dine in her own home. She couldn't really be sure what had driven her to even think of having the blonde for dinner let alone actually follow through with it. Regina clung onto the concept of keeping her friends close but her enemies closer but that was not entirely true.

In truth, her distain and anger towards the sheriff had somewhat fizzled out. She discovered she could not maintain her resentment and instead found it had been replaced with something else. Her mind had not come up with an appropriate term though it felt a bit like curiosity hedging on amusement. She had been so out of touch with her emotions unless it regarded Henry that she didn't know what to make of it. Regina cleared her throat, "Would you like another glass of wine?"

Green eyes shot up and looked at her wide with surprise for a second. Emma quickly relaxed though and nodded thoughtfully, "I'd like that. Thank you."

They were soon settled in Regina's den, the older woman having stoked a small fire to life in the hearth. The heat emanating from the flames and the crackling wood soothed over her as she sank into the winged back leather chair. Emma sat on the couch across from her, her finger idly tracing the wood grain of the armrest. Kicking off her high heels, she stretched out her feet that had developed a dull ache for the prolonged arched position. She lifted her wine glass to her lips and let the burgundy liquid rush over her tongue, "Mmm, this is quite good."

Emma hummed in agreement behind her own glass. The brunette tried to differentiate the varying flavors, "Black cherries, oak, and…"

There was something else that she couldn't name, something sweeter and lighter than the other dark flavors. The younger woman filled in for her, "Elderflower."

"Yes. Elderflower… Where did you learn about wine, dear?"

"You really want to know?"

"I did ask."

"I was after this mark one time. He was on the run for tax evasion I think. None of the other guys I'd talked to had any luck catching him. I guess he was real slippery. I found out he had a weakness for insanely expensive wine and blondes. I figured I already had one thing going for me." She ran her hand through her yellow curls. "All I had to do was some research, learn some lingo, and track down the guy."

"I found him in some ritzy hotel in New Hampshire. He actually approached me at the bar; men are terribly predictable. All I had to do was pretend to be a wine connoisseur, suggest I had a rare bottle in my car that he had to see, and just like that he was in the back handcuffed to the door. It only rained once through Ohio on the way back to Chicago."

"Rained?" Regina did not understand the pertinence to the weather.

"Well, he was cuffed to the outside of the door. He had to make the ride back half out the window." Emma smirked impishly. Regina sniggered along with the younger woman who was still amused by her own antics.

"So catching criminals is that easy?" She topped off the Emma's glass and then her own. The alcohol was starting to warm her belly and spread to her limbs making her feel relaxed.

"Sometimes. You know what they say. You catch more flies with honey." The mayor could certainly assent that Emma could be the essence of honey. With her blonde waves, sharp green eye, and high cheekbones, Emma was undeniable beautiful.

The brunette cleared her head of such thoughts, "So that is how you learned all about wine?"

"It's how I learned I like wine." Emma corrected. "I educated myself further on the subject over the years and try knew things when I can."

"You're full of surprises."

"What about you? Where did you pick up your palate?" Emma inquired.

"There is not much to do in Storybrooke. I've had time to pursue a few hobbies, including oenology."

"Oenology." The younger woman muttered to herself and chuckled ruefully, "Of course you know the exact name."

"Things do have proper names Ms. Swan."

She ignored her prickly statement. "What other hobbies have you collected?"

"I've spent a lot of time learning to cook. It wasn't necessary when I was growing up. We'd always had help in the kitchen so I didn't need to learn before." Regina divulged, revealing a shade of her privileged upbringing.

"I knew you could cook. Give me something else." She waved her hand unimpressed.

"I've got a bit of a green thumb. Mostly tending to my apple tree, though I suppose you know that as well. Seeing as you've helped me with some pruning." Regina raised a challenging eyebrow and her guest had enough sense to duck her head in embarrassment.

"Yeah, I should apologize for that. I'm sorry. I don't always think before I do things."

"It was a… heated time for everyone. I suppose we can look passed all that now." Emma grinned thankfully. They lapsed into a moment of silence, leaving the brunette to consider her options. Her years spent in the little town of her creation had only made her more withdrawn from people. The last person she had been able to talk to having been lost to her 28 years ago. Was she capable of sharing parts of herself with someone and Emma Swan of all people? Yet no else was brave enough to be seated on her couch and asking her personal questions.

"Photography." The word came from her mouth almost without her permission. Emma looked startled that she had spoke but waited patiently for her to continue. Regina recalled first discovering the camera when she woke up all those years ago with a sunny outlook on life and freshly shorn locks. She took pictures of everything and marveled at the technology. The novelty and luster of her supposedly perfect new home waned as the months dragged into years but her passion for photos didn't, even developing a style and art to her images. Her photos weren't half bad either if she said so herself. Then Henry came to her, breathing new life into her dulled existence, and her lens had a new subject. "I love taking pictures, being able to hold a moment of time in your hands. It's truly fascinating."

Her heart clenched in her chest as she wished not for the first time, that she had a camera in the Enchanted Forest and she could have taken a picture of Daniel. There had been no portrait for her to bring with her either since no one painted pictures of lowly stable boys. Not that she could ever forget his sweet face, or how he looked at her like she hung the moon and the stars, but it would have been something to physically hold when her mood swung too low and she felt like she would never get back up again. Her voice cracked momentarily when she spoke again but she pushed the emotions back with practiced ease, "When Henry came to me, I took so many pictures. I have albums full of him growing up."

"That sounds really special Regina. I'd- I'd love to see them sometime." Emma stuttered.

"Maybe sometime." She said tightly. The blonde nodded, seeming to know to drop the subject. Regina was glad, she was beginning to feel raw and exposed. Emma leaned forward, placing her empty glass on the coffee table. She didn't settle back though, instead resting her elbows on her knees and letting her hair fall in front of her face. Finally she tossed her hair back, the locks flashed golden in the flickering light from the fireplace, her eyes shining with honesty that unnerved and mesmerized the older woman.

"I know this dinner was about thanking me but I want to thank you too."

"Whatever for?"

"For giving Henry this life. For loving him and taking care of him when I couldn't… can't… You've given him a life that I never could have and I'll be forever grateful. And I know I don't have any right to be here but… thank you for letting me be."

Regina sat stock still as her words whirled around in her mind. It was almost dizzying, as she could not focus on a single thought, like billowing smoke just slipping through her fingers. The queen concentrated on keeping her neutral expression, her spine pin straight, and her breathes even. But in reality her heart pounded in her chest like a hammer on an anvil. Emma sat equally as still, her gaze steady on the woman across from her, quietly asking for the brunette to accept the olive branch she had extended. The silence between them was becoming too long. She forced words from her mouth, detached and polite, "It's getting late. If you don't mind, I think I'd like to retire for the evening."

"Of course." Emma gave her a sad smile, seemingly disheartened. Her eyes fell to her lap where she held her forgotten wine glass. Her knuckles were white from clutching her glass so tightly; it seemed a miracle it didn't shatter in her grip. Relaxing her hand, she finished the little bit of rich liquid in the bottom of her glass, hoping for that last swallow to calm her nerves.

She walked Emma to the door, watching as her puffy coat covered her elegant outfit. Though the sweater and slacks were rather simple, the blonde's lithe form made it look like the combination could have come from one of the high-end boutiques that she frequented.

"I had a nice time tonight, thank you." Emma said frankly.

"You're okay to drive?"

"I walked."

"You'll be warm enough?"

"I'll be fine."

"Alright then."

"Well… g' night."

"Good night Ms. Swan." Their conversation became staccato banalities. The sheriff seemed to turn the knob at an agonizing pace and pulled the door open.

"Ms. Swan." Regina stopped her from walking out the door, a cold breeze rushed in and she shivered. Emma looked at her expectantly. "Thank you… for the wine."

"You're welcome." Her voice a whisper on the wind and the door clicked shut leaving Regina alone in the grand foyer. The brunette hastened to snap the lock in place as if someone would come barreling back into her house. She leaned her back against the door, trying to reign in the panic rising in her throat, her chest heaving slightly. Emma had offered her a truce, and maybe more than that, an understanding. The blonde had seemed genuinely interested in her in a way that someone hadn't been in a long time. She had been presented a chance to trust again, take the hand that Emma had innocently extended, not having any clue about the darkness that lurked within the queen.

Emma didn't know that she should be terrified of her, from the moment she had set foot in town; the younger woman had been flagrantly disrespectful and determined to be not intimidated. She should be terrified of her but the truth of the matter was that Regina was terrified of what Emma could do to her life, terrified that she would take everything away from her, terrified that part of her wanted to trust those green eyes that could look at her with such unintentional softness.


	4. Two Weeks Later

It was two weeks until Emma saw Regina again. She of course had seen her around town, since Storybrooke was only so big and they did have some overlap with their jobs. They cordially nodded at each other in passing at Granny's, both attended the community meeting in the middle of the month, and they spoke briefly on the phone regarding city matters. It was by all accounts a miracle that they had been so civil with one another for so long. Emma was becoming cautiously optimistic about the whole thing.

Emma considered the dinner they shared had been a success. She had seen a side of Regina underneath her frosty attitude and assumed callousness. Her peek into the life that she shared with Henry had warmed her to the woman. The people that had been entrusted with caring for Emma when she was a child had been lacking to say the least. She was a meal ticket, free labor, a scapegoat; whatever they needed use the little girl for. Generally she had nothing that belonged to her except the a few ill-fitting clothes in a small shabby suitcase and the baby blanket she managed to hold onto; a testament that someone had once cared enough to make sure she was warm. That was, before they abandoned her in a forest.

But all that was behind her Emma had to remind herself and shove aside the old hurt that blossomed in her chest. Henry though, he had everything she could have wanted for him. He had a room full of toys and clothes and a bed all his own. More importantly he had stability, some who loved him day in and day out. Knowing that replaced her pain and filled her with the closest thing to contentment she felt in a while.

The blonde also found a new respect for Regina who had to be a mother and father, disciplinarian and caregiver. She could only imagine how deep the woman's strength went underneath her designer suits and admittedly faultless beauty. Anyone could see the brunette was not to be trifled with but could they comprehend the complexities that she was made of? For the sheriff, she caught a glimpse through the looking glass and now craved another look.

If she were honest with herself, Regina frequently was the center of her thoughts recently. However she refused to analyze the implication of that any further than vague recognition of something that could never happen.

"Sheriff Swan."

"Regina, I mean, Madam Mayor." Her eyes widened in momentary surprise.

"Do you always just stare at your breakfast or do you actually eat it?" The older woman caught her once again at Granny's pushing around the scrabbled eggs and toast she had ordered. The bacon disappeared off of her plate first before she spaced out and lost motivation to eat. It was rather out of character for her to just leave the food sit; her habit of inhaling her meals from the foster system was hard to break. "You know you have to consume your food, correct? You can't absorb the nutrients through your eyeballs."

"I've had a lot on my mind I guess." She gave a self-deprecating smile and tossed her paper napkin over the meal instead focusing on her coffee, wrapping her hands around the warm mug. "Ruby, can we get another cup off coffee?"

She waved down the vibrant waitress who flashed a grin of recognition. She gestured to the seat across from her and Regina sat herself on the red vinyl cushion of the chair not objecting to the presumption. "What's up?"

"Are you available tonight?"

"Sure. Available for what?" She hoped that perhaps she would get another dinner invite. Ruby whisked by, setting a steaming cup of coffee in front of Regina then topping off Emma's before breezing away to keep up with the morning rush. She watched the older woman dump a modest amount of sugar from the shaker, and skipped the cream all together. Her spoon slowly stirred the black liquid, never clinking against the ceramic edge.

"I need to work late tonight and I don't have anyone to sit with Henry."

"You want me to watch him? I mean, of course I will. I'd love to. Help out that is." Emma abruptly stopped talking when she realized she had taken to rambling. She took a nip of her coffee and winced at the bitter taste. She took the sugar shaker to pour in more of the sweet granules longer than necessary. Ignoring the judgmental arch of Regina's brow, she swirled in a touch more cream too. Her spoon splashed the caramel colored concoction over the rim onto her fingers.

"Can you pick him up from school at 3:30?"

Emma nodded, unthinkingly sucking her digits into her mouth to clean the coffee from them, and then said, "Yeah, I can bring him back with me. Mary Margret comes home around-"

"I would prefer you take Henry back to my house. He has a key." Regina interrupted.

"No problem." She conceded, noting the tightness in her voice and tension gathering in her brow.

The brunette took a moment to drink her coffee before daintily lower the mug looking calm once again, "I just have some difference of opinion with Ms. Blanchard on how to handle Henry and I don't want her influencing him outside the classroom."

"I get it. We'll go to your house. You don't need to explain." Emma didn't really understand the mistrust bordering on hatred that Regina held for the rather innocuous schoolteacher but it wasn't her place to question it.

"Thank you." She sighed. Emma could see the walls building back up, the aristocratic, cool gaze that was her default setting slid into place. She was getting used to the rhythm that between herself and Regina, one-step forward then two steps back. She had been worried she unintentionally ruined everything after their dinner when she had dared to press the boundaries. She just wanted Regina to know that she didn't have any ulterior motives or schemes. She was grateful for any time that she got to spend with Henry, the little boy she thought she would never get to know. Ever since she had come to Storybrooke, it felt like she was living on borrowed time. Whenever her life was going well, it felt like borrowed time; a minor reprieve before it all went to hell again.

Emma abruptly stopped her line of thought, focusing on the conversation at hand, "How long do you need me for?"

"I won't be finished until 9 maybe 9:30. Is that alright?"

"That's fine. I don't have any plans."

"Will you be able to feed him?" Regina asked refraining from adding a snide comment that Emma appreciated.

"I was thinking I'd just bring him here. If that's okay."

"That's fine as long as you don't teach him your vacantly staring at your meal technique." She smirked.

The blonde gave a short laugh, "I'll make sure he chews and swallows."

"Thank you for doing this on such short notice."

"No problem. Do you have to work late often?"

"On the occasion."

"Who normally watches Henry?"

"Miss Lucas can usually come by but she informed me she has a date with a mechanic. Why one wants to date a mechanic is beyond me." Ruby had also excitedly tittered to Emma about her upcoming date with Gus from the car shop. She didn't point out the Gus was barely even a mechanic; he mostly just ran the tow truck, which she assumed held even less esteem by Regina's estimation.

"Well let me know if you need a babysitter in the future. I'm usually free." Always free, she corrected herself in her head seeing as her only friend was an elementary teacher who wore literal bunny slippers around the apartment and was promptly in bed by 8:30 with a glass of warm milk.

"I'll keep that in mind. I need to be going." Regina reached for her purse and had her pocketbook half pulled out.

"Don't worry about paying. I got it." The mayor froze, seeming like she was contemplating on rejecting the offer, but ultimately dropped her wallet back into the depths of her bag.

"Much obliged Sheriff." Emma's eyes followed her curved form that practically slinked out of the restaurant like femme fatale in one of those old spy films. The blonde bit her lip, unable to deny the appeal she saw there. She let out a long breath.

The dinner had been a success but she was by no means out of the woods yet.

/

Henry had been ecstatic to see her when she picked him up from school. Emma might have been a little too excited as well. She let him convince her to go to the playground where they goofed around until the sun started to dip low in the sky and Henry proclaimed he was hungry. She rushed them to Granny's where they ate cheeseburgers and fries then spilt an ice cream sundae.

When Emma finally got Henry home, she realized the importance of routine for children. The boy was used to already having his homework done and playing his videogames after dinner but that was not the case tonight. He groaned and dragged his feet before the blonde could convince him to sit at the dining room table and get his assignments done. Fortunately for the both of them Mary Margret had not given out much work. He knocked it out with just enough time left to persuade Emma to lose a few races to him on the game system.

It was 8:49, only a little passed his normal bedtime, when she managed to tuck him in. After goodnights were said and the blonde returned to the main level, she realized how exhausted she was. A new appreciation for Regina on her ever growing list was discovered, knowing that the woman had raised Henry on her own all these years on top of running an entire town. She lowered her tired body onto the couch, feeling the relief radiating from her bones was verging on painful. Her work day had been a bit more strenuous than usual she tried to console herself, a pipe burst in the basement of the Sheriff's station and she spent her afternoon lugging upstairs heavy boxes of files, documents, and evidence to try and save them. All the crates were now stacked around her desk and some had been put in the cells. It was a proper mess and she dreaded having to deal with it tomorrow.

So the minor crisis that doubled as in impromptu workout, coupled with romping around with Henry for hours, left her muscles sore and worn. She slouched further into the sofa, reveling in its comfort. She glanced at the TV in front of her, thinking of switching the device on, but decided against it. Cable was a luxury she had become accustomed to living without. Even as an adult she avoided watching television. Sitting in front of the box in her own apartment just embittered her, since most of her foster parents spent their time glued to the flashing pictures on the screen. She couldn't understand how anyone could care about the contrived soap operas or cars endlessly driving in a circle more than a child in your home.

Besides that, Emma was not completely comfortable in the mayoral mansion, figuring that with her luck if she stepped near the electronic it might send sparks flying. Regina's house was immaculate, like a museum with all its priceless artifacts sitting proudly in their rightful place. The blonde did not belong amongst all of the elegant furniture and pristine trimmings as she wore jeans with fresh grass stains on the knees from tousling around in the park. She had always been a bit of a rough and tumble kind of girl, mostly out of necessity. Nice, demur little girls didn't survive in the places she had come from.

She started when she heard the front door snap open and the sound of some entering suddenly filled the quiet space. Her eyes found the clock on the mantle and saw it was nearly ten. Emma hadn't realized she had been just sitting there for so long. Recently her thoughts were drawn to her own childhood, a topic she generally left alone. She supposed it couldn't be helped when faced with her own son's childhood and his mother. She was constantly comparing the differences and was glad to find his was never lacking.

Her muscles protested as she stood but she pushed through, moving to greet Regina in the foyer. The brunette was toeing off her shoes, her coat already hung up, as Emma entered, "Hey."

"Hello." Her voice was raspier from disuse.

"You look tired." Emma noted how her mouth was drawn into a thin line, dark circles were beginning to loom underneath her eyes, and her shoulder drooped wearily. She sighed.

"I close my eyes and I still see numbers. But the budget reports are finished at least until next quarter. I could use a drink. Looks like you could use one too." The brunette appraised Emma's stiff form as well. "Come on, I've got whiskey in the decanter."

Emma didn't verbally reply. She simply followed Regina into her study, taking her normal spot on the sofa. Her eyes tracked the other woman's movements as she tucked her briefcase behind her desk and glided over to the liquor cabinet. She did not bother with ice tonight, rather poured twin glasses of whiskey neat. She handed off the drink to Emma as she passed to take her seat in the leather armchair.

Both women were silent for a spell, content to sip the expensive liquor. The amber liquid coated her mouth, making her feel like she was drinking honey and fire. The burning sweetness seeped down her throat and settled in her stomach. She could already feel the affects of the alcohol heating up her cheeks; one of the drawbacks of having such pale skin was the rosy glow she got from drinking. Finally Regina broke the quiet, "How was Henry?"

"He was great. He's a great kid."

The brunette nodded, deciding not to press for more specific information or perhaps too tired to do so. Emma seemingly continued off topic, "A pipe burst at the station today."

Regina slipped her eyes shut in apparent dismay, "Are you telling me the sheriff's office needs more money? Why didn't you call me?"

She could easily hear the groan of frustration from the mayor, the blonde realized the misunderstanding as she rapidly clarified, "No, no. I was just saying… that's why I'm so tired. Not Henry, well not completely Henry. I was carrying boxes and boxes of paperwork from the basement all afternoon."

Regina not pacified. "How bad was the flooding?"

"It could have been worse." Emma shrugged. Had she not been there to hear the awful clanging the breaking pipe made, the foundation could have spent the better part of the day turning into an indoor swimming pool. "Marco got there pretty quick. He put a temporary fix on it until tomorrow and he helped me clean up the water for the most part."

"Was there a lot of damage?"

"Nothing structural. I found a couple of dehumidifiers and have them running so it should help the rest of the basement dry out."

"Is it expensive to fix?"

"It's not cheap but I checked the funding and the money is there. We just won't be hiring a deputy for another month or two. Or three."

"Sounds like you have the situation under control."

Emma blinked surprised that Regina had been able to admit it, "I guess I do."

"You still should have called me." At this Emma rolled her eyes; that had lasted all of a second. The woman was incapable of giving up an ounce of control.

"And have you do what? Come down to the station to help me carry files upstairs?" Her mind conjured up the ridiculous image of Regina lugging heavy, cardboard cartons around while teetering in her high heels and pencil skirt. Emma knew they were heavy from experience and the current ache in her biceps. For the endeavor, she had shed her suede boots, refusing for them to become a causality to the puddles of water as she worked barefoot with her jeans rolled up to keep the fabric dry. The labor forced her to strip to her tank top and catch her curls up in a haphazard ponytail, though it did little to prevent the sheen of perspiration to develop over her skin. She was sure she looked a mess, a state that she could hardly imagine the perfectly tailored mayor in. Emma scoffed, "If I had called and interrupted you, you'd still be at the office right now."

"That's besides the point. I'm your employer. I need to be kept apprised of these things."

"Well, I'm telling you now." Emma snipped back.

"And I'm telling you to contact me when something happens." Regina glared in that intimidating way when she was trying, and succeeding, to get someone to back down.

"Jesus Regina, it wasn't a big deal." She huffed.

"And if something happened to Henry, you'd just tell me after the fact? Whenever it's convenient for you?" She bristled.

"Is that what we are fighting about?" The question slipped from her mouth and was only met with stony silence. The blonde took a calming breath. She had nearly forgotten how quickly she could fall into these little spats with Regina after the almost month long truce that had tentatively taken place between them. But now they were both tired and frayed, making it easy to accidently pull the wrong thread. She considered her words carefully.

"Look if something happened to Henry, god forbids, I would call you first thing. I would never leave you out of something like that. You're his mother." She took a pause to gather courage, liquid courage as she finished off her whiskey, before looking back to the woman across from her. "I'm just not used to having to answer to anyone. You know I've pretty much spent my life on the move but… I want to be here now. I want to try this time."

Emma watched as Regina quietly considered her, her gaze was intense but she was more captivated than unsettled by it. The room was dimly lit, just the soft glow of the desk lamp kept them from complete darkness. It was difficult to tell what exact emotions were flickering through the brown eyes that bore into her. Behind the intimidation tactic, Emma thought she saw something more a flash of acceptance or, dare she believe, approval. The next heartbeat it all vanished though as Regina stood, finishing off her drink and moving to make another. With her back towards Emma she finally spoke, "I'm not used to answering to or relying on anyone either. I've been doing this alone for quite some time."

The younger woman didn't dare speak as Regina slowly turned back around, taking the crystal carafe with her. She hovered near Emma for a moment, carefully picking up her hand that was wrapped around her tumbler and gave her another healthy three-finger pour. Emma swallowed hard as the mayor invaded her personal space and she was unable to ignore how surprisingly gentle and warm her fingers were overtop her own, how her alluring red lips quirked up ever-so-slightly in a charmed smile, how her curves dipped and played like the shadows in the room.

But then she was retreating again, setting the decanter lazily on the mahogany coffee table as she returned to her seat. The blonde didn't trust herself to speak properly, the affects of alcohol and Regina's appeal left her tongue tied so she kept her mouth shut. The mayor delicately cleared her throat after another bout of companionable silence passed between them. "I was thinking, perhaps some afternoons, Henry could spend some time with you. As long as it doesn't interfere with his studies."

She spoke slowly and carefully. Emma felt hope rising in her, her thoughts sharply refocusing on the meaning of the words. "Yes, I'd really like that. I'd love that."

"I'd like you to meet in public places, the diner or playground. Things of that nature."

"Anything you want." Honestly, it made her feel unpleasant. Like she was a deadbeat parent who only got supervised visits with their child. It reminded her once when she was in a group home, one of the girls had a mother who lost custody until she could kick her heroine habit. She had tagged along once when the mother came to visit. They had gone to get ice cream with her caseworker that sat an indiscreet distance away while the girls ate their cones and the mother chain-smoked and nervously shook her leg the whole time. It had been depressing but Emma would take any time she could get.

"And have him home by 5:30 at the latest."

"I can do that."

"Not every night mind you. Just once a week to start." Emma liked that this implied that she might be granted access to more time.

"Thank you. For giving me the opportunity."

"I'm still… adjusting to this whole thing. To you I mean."

"Hey, I get it. I am too. When the kid showed up at my apartment in Boston, I nearly had a melt down. Sometimes I still think about having a melt down." She gave a short humorless laugh, tipping her head back so it rests against the back of the couch at an almost uncomfortable angle.

"How do you not melt down? How do you keep it together when it feels like everything is falling apart?" Emma snapped her head back up at the question. She looked to find Regina staring intently at her once again, waiting for an answer that she wasn't sure she had. She started thoughtfully.

"Well, for me, I just think this isn't the worst mess I've gotten into. I've been in some pretty low places in my life, felt like I was never going to get out from underneath it all… but I did. So when I get scared or overwhelmed, I remind myself to take it one day at a time, you know? It's been worse." She'd been abused and scared, homeless and hungry, heartbroken and in prison. She wanted to tell Regina these things but couldn't get the words out. Another pause.

"Thank you… for the insight, Ms. Swan." Regina said without a bit of sarcasm. Emma grinned with a hint of pride tugging in the corners.

"So are you saying I'm not the worst thing that's ever happened to you?" She asked teasingly, quickly and willingly forgetting about her past for the time being.

Regina guffawed as she spoke into her glass to take a long swig, "Don't flatter yourself dear."

The sheriff didn't know if that meant yes or no, but she was willing to press her luck. "I think I'm growing on you. I think you secretly like me."

"The notion that I like you is preposterous. You might however have one redeeming quality…" Regina's eyes dangerously roamed her figure in a way that made her skin heat up at the implications. Emma's heart sped up, her tongue darting out to lick her lips, an act that the brunette watched with rapt attention. She didn't understand how her body was reacting this way to only a look from this gorgeous woman.

Finally she found her voice again, "Oh and what's that?"

Her attempts to sound causal were undermined by the rough quality of her tone. Regina smirked, "I do find you… aesthetically pleasing."

"Like one of your trinkets on the shelf?" She asked the measured question, trying to gauge what exactly Regina was trying to accomplish by revealing this fact.

"No dear. You're much too pretty to be left on a shelf." Her reply was vague but the way she purred with a feral grin let on more than anything she could have said.

"I- I don't like being toyed with Regina." Emma was still hedging on caution, though she knew Regina could see right through it. She was sure her cheeks were flushed and her pupils dilated to drink in every nuance of the mayor. The brunette chuckled low in her throat, not answering, instead rising slowly and sauntering over to the couch. She sat unnecessarily close to the sheriff who remained passive as Regina plucked her nearly empty tumbler from her loose grip and set it aside on the coffee table. Her hand came to rest against Emma's thigh as she gradually leaned in, giving her a chance to stop the action. Their faces were so close now; the blonde desperately wanted to surge forward and finally capture those infuriating lips in a burning kiss.

However Regina turned her head so her mouth was just by Emma's ear as she practically whispered, "You aren't a toy. Think of it rather as playing together."

Her breathing hitched as she felt full lips brush against her jaw, like flower petals tickling her skin. Regina took this as the green light and boldly began kissing down her neck, her tongue painting enticing patterns down her throat that left her feeling light headed.


	5. My True Lust

"I do find you… aesthetically pleasing."

Regina sat perfectly still after her announcement, like a jungle cat awaiting her prey's next move, savoring the time before the kill. She had no idea what possessed her to even broach the subject, revealing her certain attraction to the blonde sitting before her, regarding her with a wary gaze. Her own dark eyes staring back unwaveringly, enjoying the way her pink tongue lashed out against her lips, unintentionally seductive.

She blamed her current situation partially on the whiskey that had her head swimming slightly. Normally she could hold her liquor better, but she hadn't eaten in a while and her body was tired, her defenses weakened to the sweet recklessness of alcohol. Her inhibitions dropping just enough to ignite her desire and she did desire Emma Swan.

"Like one of your trinkets on the shelf?" The blonde asked sardonically, hiding behind innuendo. Regina was once the most villainous of them all, half of her conversations revolved around double speak and glib comments. She gave her best Evil Queen smile.

"No dear. You're much too pretty to be left on a shelf."

"I- I don't like being toyed with."

Regina decided the time for talking was over. She stood and sashayed to the couch, lowering herself next to her guest. Snagging Emma's glass, letting it slide across the coffee table away from them. Delicately she placed her hand on the woman's leg, her nails subtly scraping across the denim, as she inclined her body towards her, invading her personal space even more. As if against her will, she was drawn to the pink lips scant inches from her own, but something stopped her. This was the Savior after all. There was no telling what a kiss would do from her, what kind of devastating repercussions it could have for her curse. Even though she was certain that true love wouldn't be an issue, she resolved to deny herself the pleasure instead turning her head last second to murmur in Emma's ear. "You aren't a toy. Think of it rather as playing together."

She dipped down to press her lips onto the blonde's jaw line. The touch was barely a graze but her companion gasped lightly her long lashes fluttering at the sensation. Instantly the brunette wanted more, her lips blazing a trail of kisses, sucking at the deliciously soft flesh of her neck. Emma broke out of her stupor it seemed as she hummed her approval, one of her hands entangling her fingers through Regina's hair and the other hand running up and down her back. The mayor pushed Emma further back into the couch, the blonde allowed herself to be manipulated into lying down.

Regina switched to the other side of her neck, lavishing the same attention as the previous side. She inhaled the intoxicatingly scent of vanilla and strawberries, sweet and somehow earthy, that came from her skin. On someone else the simple smell would be boring, childish even. However, the most likely cheap body spray or lotion Emma applied somehow seemed like the most exotic, expensive perfume money could buy combined with her natural aroma. It irritated her to no end as she latched onto the blonde's pulse point, strumming her tongue over it in time with the beat. The younger woman arched into her, "Oh god."

Blunt fingernails dug a bit tighter into her scalp. Suddenly Regina found their positions switched as Emma managed to flip her despite the limited room on the sofa. Her lips dove straight to her own, which she quickly deflected with a turn of her head, leaving a sloppy kiss on her cheek. The blonde undeterred tried again but Regina kept her at a distance, pushing her away slightly with her hands on her chest. Emma looked questioningly down at her, something like panic flashing in her eyes, and the brunette thought she was going to scramble away with a tongued tied apology but she waited for her to explain. "There are rules. You aren't permitted to kiss me on the lips."

"What the hell Regina." Emma scowled at her and now did prepare to climb off of her. Using the position of her hands to her advantage she slid them down to cup the blonde's breasts. Massaging the full flesh experimental as Emma instinctually leaned into the touch. Regina continued when she was satisfied that Ms. Swan wasn't going anywhere, "You aren't permitted to kiss my lips but you may kiss anywhere else you like. That's the only rule. Do you think you can follow it?"

The younger woman met her eyes with a hard stare, obviously weighing her options. Regina urged her decision making process along, her thumbs drawing slow circles over the thin fabric of her navy thermal. They slid easily over the firm cups of her bra. She knew if provided little stimulation for the blonde, but the suggestion of it was enough to spur her back into motion. Obediently she moved to kiss Regina's neck instead, accepting the challenge the mayor set before her. Emma sucked on the sensitive flesh making her moan, her mouth so hot and wet and so promising.

The younger woman didn't have the patience to spend a lot of time teasing as she boldly began moving her fingers down her red blouse, deftly unbuttoning the golden clasps. Regina lifted her torso just enough so Emma could rip the shirt from her body, the fabric fluttering soundlessly over the back on the couch. The older woman would normally protest to such treatment of her clothing but Emma was unhooking her black bra and looking amazed at what it revealed. She couldn't help the smug smile that curled at her lips. She knew how appealing her full breasts were, her nipples deep pink and taut with expectation. She knew the way her waist synched in before her hips flared out in delicate curves brought many a wandering eye. There was something though about having Emma gaping down at her with such admiration that sent her skin tingling with pleasure. She couldn't stand the anticipation, "Are you waiting for an invitation?"

She asked breathlessly, meaning to sound much more snide and less desperate. Emma chose not to comment or didn't notice as she began kissing down her chest, taking her time to touch every inch of skin available to her. By the time her tongue swirled around Regina's nipple she was nearly panting with want. A new pleasure blossomed throughout her body with the younger woman alternating between flicking her tongue against her stiff peak and sucking, then occasionally gently scraping her teeth.

The heat and wetness gathering between her legs was becoming unbearable, her skirt too restrictive to get any friction to help release the ache. She canted her hips into Emma's, silently insisting she shift her focus. The blonde wasn't rushed though, frustratingly continuing her sweet torture until she was ready to descend her mouth onto her rib cage, over her stomach, then trail her tongue along where her skirt rested on her pelvis. Finally trembling fingers found the zipper on the side of her tight garment, releasing her shapely legs from its confines. Emma wasted no time now hastily stripping her of her stocking and underwear as well, leaving her completely exposed. Emma nuzzled into her stomach murmuring into her skin, "You're so sexy. It's unbelievable."

Regina groaned at how husky Emma's voice sounded, coarse with desire. The brunette panted, "Show me."

The sheriff grasped her hips pushing them back and she obliged moving her body further up the couch so the blonde could fit better at the bottom of it and she had an excellent view of the woman between her legs. Emma resumed her kissing lower than Regina wanted, near her knees, slowly making a wet path up each smooth thigh. There was a brief hesitation before her tongue swiped across Regina's dripping folds. She exclaimed with relief, "Oh god, yes."

Emma moaned into her as her mouth moved incessantly against her, kissing her core in the way she wasn't allowed to kiss her lips before. Her tongue steady slipped in and out of her entrance, Regina gently rocking her hips in time with the pace. Then the blonde shifted her attention once again pulling her neglected clit into her mouth, the brunette's body nearly jumping at the breathtaking sensation. She threw her head back, her fingers raked through unruly curls holding the younger woman in place, "Yes, yes just like that."

Emma adhered to her wish and also brought her fingers to her slick center, teasing her briefly then easily sliding two fingers inside of her. Regina was rapidly losing her self-control. All of Emma's precise movements blending together into one tormenting pleasure fogging her mind as Regina bucked shamelessly into her companion. The constant pulse of fingers and tongue increasing in speed and her inner walls began clenching around the digits. She was on the precipice, crying out, "So close."

The blonde curled her fingers suddenly and perfectly finding the most sensitive patch inside her and the mayor came undone around her strong fingers and on her skilled tongue. Her body stiffening and quaking as she exquisitely fell over the blissful edge. Emma gradually halted her onslaught, allowing the older woman to completely ride out her orgasm until they were both still, Regina's bones slack from pleasure.

When the mayor felt comfortable enough had she could convey a coherent thought, she peered down at Emma who still lay between her legs, green eyes watched her wantonly, her chin and lips smeared lightly with fluid. She looked perfectly wild and Regina craved to touch her. Cleared her throat, "You have too many clothes on."

Emma nodded but kissed her hipbone like she thinking about ravaging the woman again. A tempting thought, but Regina wanted something else. She nudged Emma with her legs, "Stand up."

She looked mildly disgruntled at the command but did as she was told. Regina sat up, "Take off your shirt."

Slowly she lifted her fabric from her lean frame, letting it fall to the floor without any flourish. Regina licked her lips, "Now your pants."

Her jeans as usual were obscenely tights as it took a bit of effort to wiggle the denim over her narrow hips and down her long legs. Regina didn't mind the sway it caused as eyes raked appreciatively over her newly revealed form. The sheriff was not as curvy as she was but no less beautiful. Her muscles defined but decidedly lean and soft and where there was no muscle skin stretched thinly over her exposed bones. Her breast encased in a plain black bra and her underwear was mismatched, with horizontal blue and green stripes. Regina wanted to think of the pairing as sloppy but she was oddly endeared to the effect. "Now everything."

Her voice was dark and seemingly Emma had no other choice up to comply. Shucking the skimpy garments, leaving her standing audaciously naked. She didn't think her view could improve but it did, as she drank in her round breasts, peaked with pink nipples begging for attention and the way trim, dark blonde curls gave her false modesty. Regina ticked her fingers in a beckoning motion, "Come here."

She younger blonde walked towards her and Regina imagined it had been her magic that summoned her before she remember she hadn't felt the electric feeling crackling under skin in quite some time. Once within her reach, she pulled at Emma's hips so that she was straddling her lap. The brunette grinned salaciously at the body presented before her and let her hands began roaming over the smooth skin of her sides. Emma tipped her head back; her chest dappled with light freckles jutting forward, perfectly level to Regina's mouth that began working over the heated flesh. Her tongue played over the pert nipples that tantalized her so much, lashing quickly at one then switching to the other just as quickly, never giving Emma time to catch up to the pleasure. "God damn."

She cursed softly but Regina didn't stop to taunt her with some smug remark. One of her hands that had been scratching up and down her back moved lower to massage the fullness of her ass. Emma's chest was heaving with want by the time Regina skimmed her fingers over her sopping sex, both woman moaned at first contact. Her fingers glided into her silky entrance, her walls clamping down on her desperately. Regina refused to provide her with any stimulation, keeping her hand unmoving. Emma whimpered, "Regina please."

"Let me see you want it." Regina husked into the column of her throat, nibbling the skin there. Emma gave her a half-hearted glare but the brunette could see the deepening of arousal in her eyes. The blonde started moving her body up and down, working herself over the older woman's fingers. Regina watched completely enraptured as Emma became more adamant in her endeavor. She rode her fingers, breast bouncing mesmerizingly and hip undulating in an erotic rhythm. Regina nearly growled at the sight, "So pretty…"

Pretty didn't begin to describe the woman on display for her but she didn't need to know that. Emma keened, "You feel so- good. I'm close… Just more…"

Regina indulged her, gripping her hip with bruising force so the blonde was obliged to nearly stop her motion. Her finger buried deep in her sex started thrusting at an angle that extracted needy moans from the woman. Emma gripped her shoulders to anchor herself. The mayor lastly circled her thumb rapidly around her clit with just enough press to send tumbling into her orgasm, her inner muscles rippled around her hand. Her hips rode the waves of pleasure crashing beautifully through her.

Finally she slumped into Regina, her head fell next to her own. Their bodies glistened with a sheet of perspiration from their rigorous activities. The air felt chilled over their heated skin. She could feel the blonde press her nose into her hair, breathing in slow and deep to catch her breath. She allowed the closeness for some time, delicately extracting her fingers to stroke her hip, smearing the wetness there and Emma shuddered involuntarily. The queen was comfortable, too comfortable she realized and uneasiness rose from her stomach. The blonde appeared unaware though, her lips coming to life once more to pepper kisses on her shoulder. Regina lightly shoved her away, jolting the woman slightly, "It's getting late."

Emma pulled back, blinking as if suddenly remembering where she was, "Of course."

She climbed off Regina with as much dignity as she could muster and made a beeline for her clothes. The mayor wanted to watch her dress, wanted the taste of intimacy to continue for a little bit longer. Instead she concentrated on gathering her garments and redressing methodically. When she turned to the sheriff, Emma was clothed and nervously fiddling with the sleeves she had pulled over her hands. She ignored the obvious discomfort, striding out of the office. She could hear the woman following her. Her mind spun at the implications of what their actions and what events may have been set in motion. Regina stalled trying to get a handle on the situation. With as much bravado she could collect, she slid her regal façade in place, her tone nonchalant and amused, "Well this has been a satisfying evening."

"Yes, it was." Emma agreed, eyeing her companion pensively. She shrugged into her red leather jacket.

"I'll stop by the station tomorrow." She announced with a business-like tenor.

"You will?"

"To check on the leak."

"Right."

"Thank you for… everything."

"You're welcome." Emma dropped the uncertainty to give her a confident grin, "... And thanks."

"Good night Ms. Swan." She sent her one last smirk then the sheriff sloped off into the night. Regina quietly closed the door. Her actions with Emma were irresponsible and definitely ill-advised and she _definitely_ shouldn't be considering repeating the encounter but even with all that her heart thumped insistently at the chance of having the blonde in her bed again. Regina made her way to retire upstairs though her thoughts remained whirling and unsettled well into the morning.


	6. 9:30 Sharp

"Damn." Emma swore under her breath when one of the manila folders sliced across her index finger. A thin line of blood pooled along the cut and she sucked the offending scratch into her mouth, filling it with the tangy copper taste. She closed her eyes trying to stem her irritation.

She had been wrestling with boxes all day again though it wasn't the work that was bothering her. The sheriff was actually glad for the work. The crates had been thrown down into the basement with no system whatsoever it would seem, which should be the source of her frustration but it provided a distraction that didn't send her hurtling towards a panic attack. She shuffled and organized, focusing on the burn in her muscles, the fascinating mechanics of her body lifting each box. Occasionally pulling out some of the old documents to read some of the old reports. It looked as if that Storybrooke had always been a sleepy little town, nothing more exciting than disorderly conduct and traffic tickets. It was almost unreal.

"Is that sanitary?"

Emma whipped around to see Regina standing there poised and elegant as ever. The blonde realized she looked a state again in her black tank top having lost her shirt amongst the piles forever ago. Her hair was probably mussed from dragging her fingers through it repeatedly. She quickly pulled her wounded digit away, "It's just a paper cut. I'm sure I won't contract anything fatal infections."

"How unfortunate." She said drolly.

"Ha, ha." Emma rolled her eyes, swiftly tying her hair into a ponytail as if that would magically give her some semblance of order to her appearance. "What can I help you with Madam Mayor?"

"I'm just checking to make sure my sheriff's station isn't taking on water."

"We're ship shape here captain." Emma gave a mock salute.

"Then why does it look such a mess in here?"

"Marco is working downstairs. He should be done soon. And this," Emma gestured to the papers that littered every surface as she distracted rifled about the cartons, "Is organized. Well more organized than it was. Filing wasn't Graham's strong suit."

"Forgive me if I'm doubtful." Regina said wryly. Emma was ready to argue back but she stopped short when she turned back to the brunette who she expected to be staring her down in her customary superiority. But instead her dark eyes were appraising her form in a new appreciative way, lingering especially on her shoulders and biceps. She subtly flexed and she could practically see her pupils dilate from across the room and Emma's thoughts were sent scattering to wholly inappropriate images. If the whole thing flustered her less, she would be feeling more full of herself and the apparent effect she had on the older woman. However, as it stood, her own emotions were so jumbled that all satisfaction she may have gotten diminished significantly.

She gave a tight-lipped smile, "You'll just have to trust me."

"Perhaps…"

This was why her arduous task was so gladly welcomed as it gave her reprieve from her mind turning to the steamy events that unfolded in the mayor's study. It still felt like a dream to her. The truce between the two women was more of a stalemate, or a tentative cease-fire rather than a peace treaty. Even now they backslid into grating against each other's nerves, their relationship was based on tension so it shouldn't have surprised her really that it inevitably bubbled over.

It had happened once before; a release in the energy that built dangerously between them, except it had been a violent exchange when they traded blows in the cemetery, an ill-conceived cat fight over Graham. Now the scale had tipped again only this time their weapon of choice was pleasure. And god had it been pleasurable. They inflicted each other with kisses and stroking hands and so much more. Emma begrudgingly admitted to herself that it had probably been the best sex she'd ever had. Regina was in a word divine with her olive skin and curves that could kill. Her throat dried and she felt a sympathetic jolt between her legs just at the idea of her. Of course after the fact she wobbled out the house as fast as her pleasure-drunk limbs and whiskey-laden mind could manage. Part of her wanted to stay and demand answers from the woman, but old habits were hard to kick. She took her opportunity and fled. The sheriff wrangled her thoughts determining to keep her cool in front of the other woman no matter how out of sorts she felt. "Was there anything else?"

"Yes, there is." Regina brushed invisible lint from her coat; acting like the whole conversation bored her to death.

"Yes?"

"Henry is usually fast asleep by nine." The statement seemed to come from left field. Her brow crinkled in confusion.

"Okay…"

"I'll be leaving my front door unlocked tonight from 9 to 9:30. No later. If you care to join me this evening."

"Join you? As in…"

"You know very well Ms. Swan. There's no need to be dull about it."

"Excuse me Madam Mayor." Emma glared hard. "I didn't realize being the sheriff made automatically made me your booty call."

"There is no need to be crude." Regina frowned in distaste.

"And I'm not your lap dog that will come running just because you call."

"Honestly, so dramatic." She grumbled. Emma opened and closed her mouth unable to find the words to her indignity. Regina elaborated before she could find her tongue, "I'm not commanding you. I simply found last night enjoyable and if you found it to be enjoyable then we could go on enjoying it."

Emma fixed her with a hard, suspicious stare, searching for a lie. But her self-proclaimed super powers didn't detect any deceit. Regina spoke plainly with her matter of fact tone. There was no calculation in her eyes, instead a certain frankness and spark of desire, though while restrained spoke volumes. Before she could answer another voice interrupted them, "Everything is all set Emma. Should be good to start moving everything back downstairs… Oh, Madam Mayor."

Marco was startled when he realized the imperious woman was standing there, a mildly irritated expression settled over her features. "Please, by all means, interrupt."

He looked sufficiently cowed as her back away slightly. "I'm sorry I didn't know…"

"I'm finished here any ways." She brusquely announced. "Get this taken care of… and think about what I've offered Sheriff."

With a dramatic flash of her long dark coat she breezed out of the office, leaving a terrified handyman and the even more conflicted sheriff.

/

This was a monumentally bad idea Emma thought as she stood on the front porch of the mayoral manor. For the rest of the afternoon, and actually up until 15 minutes ago, the blonde had debated the pros and cons of accepting Regina's invitation. There relationship was complex enough without adding sex into the mix she had tried to reason with herself. They could barely stand each other, she was Henry's mom, and technically her boss; the list went on. But god she craved the other woman more than anything she had in her entire life. No matter how many things she could think of that told her not to go, it came down to the simple fact that she really wanted to. Emma was drawn to the other woman like a moth to the flame. There was something about being around Regina, even when they were fighting, that felt oddly right, like she was right where she was supposed to be.

Ultimately, she pulled on her boots, tiptoed passed Mary Margret, and briskly walked down the abandoned streets, white with freshly fallen snow. She had hoped to convince herself to turn back around. She lit up her phone screen for the third time since arriving. It was 9:25 and her window of opportunity was dwindling. Jamming the device into her back pocket, she shuffled around and took in a deep breath. Her first instinct was to knock, but she was sure that if she woke Henry there would be hell to pay. Regina must have given her specific times for a reason so bracing herself she turned the brass handle and pushed her way inside. The foyer was dark and quiet. There was no sign of the older woman. She unzipped her riding boots and left her coat by the door to avoid tracking snow into the house. Cautiously venturing forward, "Regina?"

"You shouldn't keep a lady waiting." Her smoky voice drifted down the curved staircase and Emma swallowed hard at the sight of Regina lazily walking down the steps, stopping half way. She was wearing a black negligee made of all silk and lace that clung enticingly to her body. Her eyes riveted to where the scalloped fabric played across her breast. The blonde ignored her statement in complete awe of the gorgeous woman.

"You look… great." Her compliment fell flat and she internally cringed at how lame she had sounded.

"You look… the same." Regina intoned with her air of indifference. Emma fought the urge to fidget uncomfortably, suddenly feeling like she should have put forth a little more consideration into her clothing before deciding to depart. She was still wore her red flannel top from earlier in the day, more comfortable than fashionable, and black jeans tightly encased her legs plainly.

"Yeah, er… Sorry." She mumbled.

Regina curled her lips mockingly, "You're quite the wordsmith."

The sheriff huffed. She didn't come here just to be insulted or intimidated. Emma wasn't going to let herself be pushed around the bedroom even if the idea was a rather hot one, especially with Regina. She gathered her confidence and snipped back with her usual cheekiness. "I wasn't under the impression that we would need to be talking this evening."

Regina's smile could have lit up the room, "Indeed. If you'd follow me Ms. Swan."

She turned and headed back up the stairs, her hips swinging dangerously. Hypnotized, Emma pursued her a few paces behind. The brunette ducked into a room and she lost her from view for a moment. When she was in sight of the older woman once again, it was only a spilt second before she was pinned to the bedroom door. Lips furiously sucked and nipped at her neck. She caught up quickly, her hands roving over the luxurious silk that covered her torso and finger toying with hardening nipples through the material. She nudged the side of Regina's head seeking out her lips but the woman shook it negatively. "The same rule applies. You can't kiss my lips."

Emma furrowed her brow. Last night she thought it had been an exciting game that Regina liked to play. It had been rather hot being denied one of the most basic expressions of two people connecting physically. However now it felt like a slight. She almost pulled back ready to protest but she had yet to win a fight with the mayor. And still, her body yearned to be touched by this woman in whatever capacity she would allow, the heat between her legs already becoming unbearable. She shoved off the door, spinning them so Regina was backing up towards the bed. Emma barely took notice of her shirt being practically torn away, and relented in kissing down the woman's sensitive shoulder for only the amount of time it took to pull her tank top over her head. She had nearly gotten to the bed, preparing to push Regina onto the plush surface, when the woman managed to switch their positions again.

The back of Emma's knees hit the mattress and she fell onto the down comforter. She looked up, Regina standing over her grinning wickedly. "Comfortable?"

The manipulative bitch, Emma thought getting prepared to make a comeback but Regina was sinking to her knees, kneeling between her legs that hung-over the edge of the bed and all notions flew out of her head. Her hands clawed up and down the dark denim as she leaned forward to trace patterns with her tongue on her abdominals. Regina popped open the copper button, suddenly yanking the pants from her hips none to gently. The blonde helped, kicking the article off her feet, trying to avoid jostling the woman between her thighs. She felt hot breath puffing against the crotch of her underwear. She tilted her hips into the sensation, but the woman kept her distance. Emma glanced down to see her infuriatingly coy smile. She growled and Regina chuckled, "Is there anything I can do to make you more comfortable?"

Fingertips still dragged up and down her thighs distractingly but she tried to hold onto her higher brain function. She considered what would get her companion to cease her teasing. Regina generally wasn't a fan of her bluntness but she hoped it would serve her now, "You can get your hot mouth on me right now and make me come."

Regina's eyes flashed with something dangerous and exhilarating. Emma heard the sound of shredding fabric as her underwear was literally ripped off of her. She couldn't care less though as the perpetrator sent her tongue delving through her folds. Her mind clouded as the older woman licked broad stroked and sucked on her heated, wet flesh; time becoming completely irrelevant. Regina's deft pink muscle demanded her pleasure as she drew circles around her clit. Emma let the electric feeling build inside, refusing to give her the satisfaction of begging. And then the brunette was pulling the sensitive bud into her mouth; strumming her tongue over it so quickly it almost felt like a vibration, "Oh god, Regina."

Her orgasm shot through her limbs, splintering all coherent thought. As she came back to earth, Emma could feel Regina grinning into her stomach, again asking, "Comfortable?"

"Very." She breathed out. Quickly though she shook off the light-headed feeling and launched herself at the mayor. She grabbed the woman and tossed her to the head of the bed. Regina looked surprised at the sudden shift but also delighted. The blonde crawled up the bed and hovered over her. Their noses brushed together softly before the younger woman remembered herself and moved to kiss the skin by her ear. She hummed in response, turning her head to grant more access, and started trailing her hands over Emma's shoulders.

The sheriff drew away, capturing her roaming hands and pinned them to the mattress with her own. The thigh that settled between Regina's legs pressed harder as she began grinding her hips into the other woman and resumed kissing along her clavicle. Emma let go of one of her hands to massage the full breast still covered with the lingerie that was just too sexy to remove. She rolled her nipple through the thin material and Regina brought hand to thread through Emma's hair. Immediately the younger woman stopped her ministrations and tugged the offending hand free from her hair putting it back on the mattress. She went to put her hand back on Regina's body but the brunette stubbornly found its way back to Emma's head. Their hands fought against each other in a brief struggle before the blonde got both of Regina's hands over her head, curling them around the wrought iron bars of her headboard. "Move them again and I'm going to stop everything and leave."

"You wouldn't dare." Her eyes narrowed.

"Try me." Emma quirked an eyebrow up challengingly. Regina accessed her with a glare, and then miraculously conceded with a tick of her head, hands tamely held fast to the black rods. Satisfied with her compliance, Emma took full advantage to her prone form. Her hands wandered the curves unhindered. Regina moaned and arced into every touch. Finally she gave mercy as her hand slipped under the sinfully short skirt and cupped the older woman's wonderfully bare sex. Her fingers wasted no time plunging into the tight heat. Emma groaned along with her at the feeling of Regina clenching around her, desperate for release but powerless to do anything. Emma watched mesmerized. She was beautiful like this, unfocused eyes, parted plump lips, umber hair splayed strikingly against the white bedding.

The blonde strived to make her come even more undone thrusting harder into the tight, silken canal. Regina actually whimpered, her hips meeting Emma's fingers with each push. She wanted so badly to kiss the lips so close to hers while she was deep inside this enigmatic woman, connected in such a painfully intimate way. Instead Emma abruptly halted her actions to swiftly lower herself down the woman's body, shoving up the skimpy negligee to attach her mouth to Regina clit then rapidly restarting her hand's unforgiving rhythm. The brunette cried out with pleasure, rocking into Emma until her body was sent over the edge, spasms shooting from the muscles in her core out to the rest of her body.

Emma watched and waited in awe until her breathing slowed and Regina seemed calm once again. But the brunette was too tempting, too alluring for her to not have the woman again. She extracted her wet digits, immediately replacing them with her tongue. Regina sighed at the gentle, exploring movements as she avoided the areas that she was learning had the most sensitivity. Desire began radiating from her center once more, as she fully tasted the sweet, musky essence of the older woman. She couldn't stay there long, coming up to prop herself over Regina who opened her legs wider for the blonde. Their cores lined up perfectly. Emma started a slow, sensual thrusting motion with her hips.

Regina forgot the previous command to keep her hands put and raked them up and down her back encouragingly. Emma didn't mind, getting entirely lost in the feeling coiling in her as they became wetter moving with less and less friction each passing moment. They pushed and pulled against each other, grabbed and stroked, becoming more and more frantic. Emma felt the tug of her orgasm but she knew Regina was right there with her as hands gripped her ass holding on tight as they rode it out together. "Oh god, Emma!"

"God Regina." She came with a blinding intensity, feeling as if she may blackout, as all her nerves sparked with pleasure. She collapsed on top of the woman, both their chests heaving from excursion.

She didn't know how much time passed before she could roll off Regina. She looked over apologetically but the woman didn't seem to mind too much of anything at the moment, still pleasantly dazed. The silence stretched out between them, as relaxed and heavy as their sated forms. Emma nearly drifted off to sleep when she felt a prod, "It's late. I have an early morning tomorrow."

Her voice was slightly hoarse. She opened her eyes and saw the brunette sitting up, pulling the skirt of her negligee back down and trying to fix her tousled locks. The magic was over and she was turning back into a pumpkin. She looked at the elegant silver clock on the nightstand. She could just make out the hands seeing that it was well passed midnight. She resisted telling Regina that tomorrow was already happening. The brunette continued, "You can go through that door to shower. There is a towel on the counter."

Of course the mayor had already carved out a tidy little escape plan for their evening of debauchery. Emma was both miffed and grateful. Without a word, she climbed out of the bed, gathering her clothes with the exception of her now useless scrap of underwear and made a beeline to the bathroom. Before she made it through the door Regina called to her, "Oh and Ms. Swan?"

"Yes?" She turned clutching her clothing protectively to her chest.

"Next time the door will be locked at 9:15. I don't like to be kept waiting."

"What makes you think I want to do this again?" She stuck her chin out stubbornly.

"Do as you wish. Good night Ms. Swan."

"Night." She whispered telling herself that in the future she would find the will power to stay away. Though even as she rinsed the sweat from her skin in the warm spray of water, she secretly knew she would be promptly at the mansion by 9:00 for their next tryst.


	7. Periwinkle Afternoon

Mayor Mills sat primly at her desk fluidly writing out notes for the upcoming town meeting. She looked composed and stoic but inside her thoughts kept straying to her obnoxious sheriff. It had been a few weeks since their relationship had transcended from enemies to begrudging respect and finally combusting in the hot, gratifying sex they were partaking in.

They had fallen into a routine. Carefully, they avoided each other in the daylight, only interacting when the circumstances called for it. Brief, polite hellos as they passed by in the diner and professional phone calls to discuss some matter involving the city were their only forms of communication. She remained true to her word, allowing Emma to spend more time with her son. Every Wednesday the pair met at the diner and Henry came home exactly at 5:30 every time with a goofy smile on his face. She wanted to hate it that the blonde could do that to her son, make him that happy. But it warmed her heart to see him like that once again and he greeted her with a big hug that she had missed very much before running up to his room, so she let it continue much to her chagrin. Emma always smiled and waved at her from the street or in her Bug. It was bittersweet and she couldn't explain why.

But then dusk fell and Emma snuck into her home, the distance between them they painstaking constructed evaporated. They became like two magnets snapping together by an unseen force. They played out their desires until they were blissful and lethargic. Regina squeezed her legs together, trying to quell the faint ache that developed at the apex of her thighs.

Part of the cause of her disturbance from work was the unanswered text she had sent the younger woman who plagued her thoughts. There system was simple but effective. The correspondence was never flirty or seductive. She knew the little text on a screen would pale in comparison to how they would trade heated words in the moment, Emma's voice rumbling in her ear sometimes sweet and other times deliciously dirty. She didn't need to lure Emma to her home with lurid phrases, it would be in the way they passionately moved together later that night, getting their fill of each other before dawn that had her coming back for more.

She would send a message only detailing the acceptable time outline for her arrival, sometimes in response to an inquiry from the blonde about her plans for the evening. But usually she reached out to Emma and usually she was quick to reply with a 'see you then'. However today the hours dragged on and she had yet to get such a retort. Her finger itched around the pen she gripped, wanting to type out something furious to the blonde demanding an answer but that would not adhere to her apathetic manner she strove to portray. She dutifully kept writing, secretly simmering with annoyance.

A sharp knocking at her door then interrupted her stewing. She called out, her voice dripping with boredom, thinking perhaps Sidney was coming by to stare longingly at her, "Come in."

"Hey."

Her attention shot up in surprise to see Emma standing there, her red leather jacket creating an eyesore in her town hall office. "Ms. Swan, what are you doing here?"

"I came to tell you that I can't make it tonight. Mary Margret and Ruby want to have a movie night thing. It should go pretty late."

Irritation tinged with jealousy reared its ugly head. She had never been denied before and to come in second to that insipid idiot and her fleabag friend irked her to no end. "And why did you feel the need to come tell me this? Has your phone mysteriously stopped working?"

"I was in the neighborhood." She shrugged then added slowly. "And maybe I still wanted to see you."

Regina nearly bit out that she was not accepting social calls, especially from her, but she stopped short at the look brewing behind her green eyes. It was an expression she knew well, full of want and desire. She coolly replied, her tone perfectly balancing on indifference and coyness, "And why do you think I would want to see you?"

At this point Emma knew better than to be deterred. She peeled off her coat walking to the middle of the room and tossing it carelessly over the white sofa. Regina took in the sight of Emma wearing an emerald top, strikingly feminine on her lean frame and pleasantly sheer. She could see the lines of her dark bra, which was doing nothing to conceal her chest straining against the material. It was all clearly designed to seduce her. Emma watched her through long lashes, "I know you're busy but I thought you could pencil me in."

"Regarding what matters?"

"Well, I've been thinking about you coming on my mouth all day. It seemed important at the time but if you want me to go I will."

The mayor considered giving her sheriff a sharp lecture about how highly inappropriate it was for Ms. Swan to proposition her in her office in the middle of the day. But the desire and now curiosity had already been set into motion and after a suspended beat Regina decisively ordered, "Lock the door."

Emma maintained her eye contact as her hand reached behind her, groping to a moment to find the vintage lock and click it into place. The brunette moved to stand but the other woman shook her head, "Stay there."

Regina chaffed against the command and was completely prepared to ignore it but Emma tsked at her, "If you move, you won't get your surprise."

"You've already revealed your cards Ms. Swan."

"Your other surprise." Emma corrected her lips ticking upwards in amusement.

Though part of her still wanted to refuse her compliance, after all she wasn't on her beck and call, but she was interested enough to relax in her chair, giving the blonde control of the situation. Emma didn't seem to be in a rush; instead she wandered around the room, boots clicking against the elaborate black and white tile. The mayor tracked her movements, noticing there was an extra swing to her hips like Emma knew she had her undivided attention. Her badge clipped to one of her belt loops was decidedly sexy. But her wandering eyes snapped up when the sheriff began thoughtfully, "You sure have a lot of pretty things."

"Yes, I like the finer things in life." Regina glowered but continued to play whatever game Emma had constructed, "Are you going to get to the point?"

"I want an opinion on something and I need a refined eye. I thought yours would be perfect." Emma shrugged as she unzipped her shoes to step out of them.

"Alright, show it to me." The older woman felt the anticipation prickle at her skin. Emma came to stand in front of her desk and grabbed the flowing hem of her shirt. She lifted the light fabric at an agonizing pace, slowly revealing her pale, taut abdomen. Regina's eyes light up when her torso was finally free, her breast clad in a dark periwinkle bra, the cups were all lace, near useless in obscuring anything much to her enjoyment. Next she rolled tight jeans down her long legs her underwear matching, the delicate patterned triangle of fabric equally as decadent and indecent as the top.

Of course, by now she had seen Emma in all manner of undress, but seeing her in the obviously expensive lingerie gave her a new thrill, like seeing a sunrise instead of sunset over your favorite landscape or discovering a constellation you'd never seen before in the night sky that you admired so many times before. She got lost in the effect of deep purple on milky skin, the textured material against smooth expanses. Emma smirked, "So what do you think?"

"I think… it's a lovely surprise."

"Yeah? You think it's pretty enough? I mean you're the expert." She plucked at the thin bra strap and it fell loosely from her shoulder.

Regina swallowed but managed to smoothly reply, "Why don't you come closer so I can get a better look?"

Emma grinned and came around the desk as she spun her chair so she could face the woman on display for her. The blonde stopped when her knees brushed against her own, "Well?"

Regina brought her hands up to the hips in front of her and began to explore the dips and flares of the Emma's body. She palmed the younger woman's pert breast, stroking her defined torso. The mayor pulled at the Emma, trying to turn her around. She got raised eyebrows in confusion. "I need to see from all angles."

She permitted Regina to rotate her and the brunette had to stifle a moan. Her underwear was a thong, the toned globes of her ass completely exposed. She ran her fingers down her spine, running them under the lacy strings that rest on the swell of her bottom. Emma stayed still letting her trace contours on her back. The older woman found her voice, murmuring, "The craftsmanship is flawless. The color is complimentary… It's absolutely exquisite on you."

"I'm glad you think so." Her voice was breathy. Regina grinned, liking that the balance of power was tipping in her favor. She could practically feel Emma losing concentration and she massaged the flesh harder, one on her hands sneaking to pinch a stiff nipple. But as soon as her lips met the curve of her waist, it jolted her companion forward, momentarily putting her out of her reach. The blonde whirled around, immediately kneeling and forcing her thighs apart. Hands incessantly pulled at her black slacks. Tearing open the button, Emma forced them down her legs and they pooled around her satin pumps.

The sheriff did the same to her dampened underwear, her nose coming to nestle against the inside of her thigh. Emma looked enraptured with the sex inches from her face, which the brunette knew had to be glistening with the wetness of her desire. She couldn't wait and prompted, "See something you like?"

"Exquisite…" Emma whispered then didn't hesitate to lick a broad stroke up her slit. Regina instinctively shifted lower in her seat, spreading her legs wider. The blonde's tongue was messy and everywhere. If the older woman didn't know any better, she would say she was unskilled and ineffectual. But she knew what the sheriff was capable of and even when she was purposefully inept, the younger woman was devouring her with an intensity that was divine. Suddenly she switched her tactics, hitting all the right areas. She worked her lips around her sensitive nub, tongue flicking repeatedly against it. It was too good and Emma quickly ripped the orgasm out of her as she could feel endorphins flooding her brain.

She thought about being embarrassed how easily worked up she was from the sight of Emma in some nice underwear, but the woman in question was eagerly lapping up her arousal, her tongue moving lower to dip inside of her. The mayor looked down at the blonde curls spilling into her lap. The visual of the almost nude Emma pleasuring her while her clothing stayed mostly intact was hot as hell. She could close her eyes and image she was in her throne room in her dark castle; the white princess freely falling to her knees for the whims of the queen.

It was an entertaining fantasy but this reality was so much better. And she didn't really feel like she had much control at the moment. The other woman's tongue thrust steadily into her core and her hand moved to splay itself over her mound, partially to still her hips but mostly to position her thumb over her clit. She drew tight, slow circles until Regina was gasping and her inner muscles began to contract. She sped up the motion and the searing ecstasy of her coming lit up her nerve endings. She shuddered against the woman whose own moans were muffled by the heated, slick flesh in her mouth.

Regina's hips nearly jumped off her chair when she felt two fingers gingerly prodding her entrance. She shook her head weakly, "I can't. Not again."

Emma stopped her progress but didn't pull away. She basically whined at the older woman with something like desperation, "Please Regina, I'll go slow. Just one more time. Please."

Regina couldn't turn her away when she looked so beautiful on the ground and it was all for her. She acquiesced with a nod. The strong fingers moving fully in and out of her were unhurried, careful to not provide too much pressure. Not yet, it was too soon. Emma sucked at the skin on the inside of her thighs with a bruising force; her eyes didn't leave Regina's face, watching her enthralled. The brunette wound her fingers through her golden locks and watch back with equal intensity, feeling the wonderful burn of the love bite. It took a while for the tension to build up again but Regina was enjoying the sensations too much to care and Emma was patient and devoted in her movements. Finally she was close again, pulling gently at her hair, getting her delectable mouth where she needed her most. Emma groaned and worked her hand harder, lightly stroking her clit with her tongue. The mayor was panting heavily now, "More, oh god, more."

Fingers curled deep within her. It was too much and just enough. Her third orgasm hit her hard, her vision blackened around the edges. The electric feeling made her entire body tremble, until she slumped back against her chair. She was delirious with the post-coital bliss thrumming through her veins. She didn't even realize she was petting the corn-silk hair on Emma's head that was lying in her lap. But suddenly the blonde was gently pulling up her pants, redressing her with care. Emma stood, leaning down and brushing a very wet kiss on her cheek. Regina wanted to reach out but she hadn't gained control of her limbs yet. The sheriff was moving away and picking up her jeans however, which she found unacceptable. "Where do you think you're going?"

The queen asked perturbed. She had plans for the blonde that potentially involved bending her over her desk. Emma stepped into her pants, "I'm on duty. I've got to go."

"You most certainly will not." Regina tried sounding imperious but still lacked the energy to back it up.

"I've got a home visit with the Tillman's in less than an hour. I need to make sure Nicolas and Ava are adjusting and Michael is an adequate guardian." Her top slid back over her lanky frame. "I've been trying to get a social worker from the state here but no one can seem to find this town."

"We are a bit… off the map." She chuckled though Emma was oblivious to her inside joke.

"Well, I can't wait. I'm conducting the interview myself. I want to make sure the kids are safe." Emma put her hair up in ponytail. Erasing the evidence of Regina's hands gripping her hair and raking it up into a wild mess. The mayor considered way to keep the blonde with her. She could think of ways, tortuous and pleasing ways, to ensnare the younger woman for just another hour until she got her chance to have her way with her.

But she stopped herself from protesting her departure any further. She was the Evil Queen she shouldn't care whether or not Emma got her turn. A verdant gaze found hers, looking at her in an almost shy demeanor. Regina was struck with the feeling of being drawn to other woman, like a thread was pulling them together and she was helpless to follow. The thought had been increasing as their affair escalated. She tired to hold off as long as she could, until it felt like the string between them was stretched too thin, creating a tight feeling in her chest, so that it felt like they both might snap.

"Regina?"

"Hm?"

"I asked if I would see you later this week?"

Despite the frightening sensation swirling under her breastbone, there was still a strange floating feeling that Emma gave her. She couldn't comprehend it but it elicited a broad, bright smile. "You can count on it."

Her eyes lingered in a way that suggested there next encounter would be worth her while. The sheriff returned with her own dopey smile, "See you later."

Emma backed out of the room, suddenly blushing, even though she had been so confidently strutting around just moments ago. She fumbled with the lock for a second then vanished from her sight. Regina leaned forward, elbows on her desk, cradling her head in her hands. The mayor realized that it was getting more difficult to reign in whatever emotions she was coming to associate with Emma Swan. She needed to know what it all meant; she had questions and she had an idea where to get the answers.

Tonight seemed like a lovely evening to visit her dungeons.

/

After tucking Henry safely in bed, Regina stayed up doing her normal nightly routine. She cleaned the kitchen a little, tied up loose paperwork, and then sat in the living room to do a crossword puzzle. At 10 o'clock, when she usually wandered upstairs to get ready for bed, she instead descended to the lower level of her foyer. She plucked a heavy, wool coat from the hooks by the door, black naturally, slipping into it. She wrapped a purple, cashmere scarf around her neck knowing the temperature was dropping outside and pulled on her leather driving gloves. The brunette paused for a moment, using her mother-trained ear to listen for anything amiss in the house. Sure that all was calm and in place, she stepped out into the night.

Her Mercedes purred quietly through the streets. As she passed the apartment that she knew housed Emma and her awful roommate, the mayor couldn't help but look up like she might catch a glimpse of the blonde. The curtains were shut tight and she could only see with blue flicker of a television playing, the women she guessed were sitting around it watching an insufferable chick flick or something. Hastening her drive by, she continued onto the hospital.

Easily, she strode through automatic doors into the brightly lit building with no one giving her any bother. Most of the staff members were at their homes with the exception of the night nurse sitting in her station who didn't even notice her. She was too busy reading a romance novel and stuffing chocolates into her rounded cheeks. She grimaced at the simpleton behavior and moved towards the elevator, selecting the basement level, the button illuminating against her fingertip. Her ride down ended with a lurch from the old machinery and a weak ping, the door sliding rather tiredly as if it knew it was a late hour.

Walking out, a shiver skipped down her spine. This floor didn't have the clean, sterilized environment of the hospital's upper floors. The air down here was moist and cool, feeling unpleasant against her skin. The cinderblock walls appeared like they bore down on your, like they may crack and cave any moment. The fluorescent lights were dim, flickering occasionally, threatening to go out. The product was bleak and unwelcoming, even frightening, which was exactly what the Evil Queen had in mind. This was a place designed for housing despair and it did so well. Regina rarely needed to come here, but when she had she glided through the dreariness, untouched by its misery, almost delighting in the pain it caused others but tonight it affected her more than she cared to admit. The cold crept into her bones, casting a cloud of uneasiness over her.

Shaking off her anxiety, the mayor tilted her chin up and briskly walked down the short corridor to the desk where a woman sat, guarding the wards of this wing. She always seemed to be assigned to this desk whenever it was necessary for Regina to stop by. She couldn't recall her from the Enchanted Forest though. She had a pinched face as if her hair were pinned back too tight and she was mute, a perfect gatekeeper for keeping secrets. The brunette offered her a false grin, "Hello, I know it's rather late but I'm here to see Patient Number 4. Urgent business."

As expected the nurse said nothing, just ticked her head down, indicating for the queen to do as she wished. Regina resumed her journey into the forsaken place, passing by doors securely sealed, until she reached a specific door, one with a dulled brass number four displayed under a small, barred window at eye level. She rapped against the gray metal, the sound resonating slightly, "Wake up dear. I've got matters to discuss."

She stood back and a gaunt face came into view. Dark eyes bore into her; rebellious and indignant like a caged wolf. She tilted her head to the side, "Do you know who I am?"

His voice growled out, "Of course I do… your Majesty."

She beamed. She had missed her old title. "Huntsman…"


	8. A Savior's Kiss

Graham Humbert, the once esteemed sheriff of Storybrooke looked nothing like himself in the dank underbelly of the hospital where he was imprisoned. His dirty blonde hair grew long and wavy over his ears, nearly falling over his eyes and his beard had become scraggily over the few months without having a proper shave or trim. He was pale from residing in the darkness, his skin grimy not having a real shower in awhile. He seemed more like the wild man from the wood these days than the well-groomed officer of the law. She grinned amused, "Huntsman… how good to see you again. You certainly smell like your old self."

"Let me out of here." He snarled.

"Why would I do that and have you running around trying to break my curse?" She feigned innocence and he lunged at the door uselessly.

Banging futilely against the unyielding metal, "You loathsome bitch!"

"Now, now there's no need for name calling." She clicked her tongue at him.

"Why are you even here?" The man asked through clenched teeth.

"I have some questions for you." She raised a commanding eyebrow, slipping fully into her villainous persona. "And you will answer them."

"No, I want some answers first." They had a stare-off, his gaze granite and hers steel. The mayor didn't have time to waste playing mind games with her prisoner. She huffed and rolled her eyes in annoyance.

"Fine, what is it you want to know?" She crossed her arms over her chest impatiently. The brunette figured she would get her answers quicker if she conceded to his demand.

"How did I survive? You crushed my heart."

"There is no need to be dramatic. I just applied a little… pressure. Your heart is still safe and sound." Well, as safe as it could be in the Evil Queen's crypt.

"So how did I end up here?"

"The pressure was enough to cause what they call cardiac arrest here. You did flat-line long enough for some botched paperwork proclaiming you legally dead." She explained uninterestedly. "My associate was convinced to move you down here when no one was looking."

"Why are you doing this?" His frustration oozed out of him.

"Why?" Regina's voice turned dark. She moved closer to his cell leaning in close to the little, slatted window so he could she the danger flashing in her eyes. "Because you people took away my happiness, so now I'm taking yours."

The darkness within her swelled like billowing clouds of a storm, her old anger tore at her seams in a way that it hadn't in a long time. She stepped back and took a deep breath, mildly unnerved. Regina was used to the feeling and at one point in her life would have welcomed the power it brought with bubbly delight and an evil cackle. However tonight it scared her like when she had been just a girl in the Enchanted Forest trying to get her freedom. She shook off the uncertainty and pressed on. "Now, you will answer my questions or your heart will be dust. Tell me about getting your memories back."

"They just came back all at once. Like watching a film." Graham's eyes glazed over like he was reliving all his memories once again. He most likely pined for his forest and wolves; the man as natural and wild as both, never took kindly to being trapped in a box.

"No, I mean how did you get them back?" She snapped not caring to indulge in his nostalgia.

"It happened when I kissed Emma."

"You kissed Ms. Swan?" Regina bristled and the hot, prickly feeling of unbidden jealousy crawled up her spine. If she had been holding Graham's heart in her hands, then it would surely be a fine powder now.

"Well she kissed me. But I wanted her to, maybe needed her to." The thought of the then-sheriff and his then-deputy in an intimate embrace was an entirely unwelcome concept. Evidently somewhere along the line in the few weeks since their affair started, the mayor had begun to feel a sense of possession over the blonde woman and the feeling hit her sudden and fast. Not to be confused with affection or even liking Emma, rather she preferred that she be kept in her company. Lest she go around kissing other people free from her curse apparently. She swallowed it like a bitter pill, ignoring the mildly amused look on the huntsman's face at her irritation. She cleared her throat. "And why did you feel that?"

"I don't know what you mean."

"I mean, what made you want or _need_ to kiss her." She explained with little tolerance. These were the times she missed torturing people; it was a much more efficient way to interrogate them.

"I guess it was like I just knew I should."

"Like you felt… connected?" Regina inquired carefully. Connected was the safest word she could think of to describe her current emotions regarding the younger woman. She needed to know if she and the huntsman were experiencing the same pull to her rival.

"No… It was more like I knew she had something I'd lost and it was the only way to get it back. That's when my old life returned and the need to kiss her stopped. Though I wouldn't have minded kissing her again…"

"Enough." She held her hand up with a disgusted sneer. "I don't need the details of your girlish crush. Though she did unbind you from the spell… I wonder, is she your true love?"

It stood to reason that the two could be soul mates. If the Huntsman hadn't saved Snow White, then Emma wouldn't have even been born, possibly entwining their fates forever. Regina raged against the idea of Emma making her happily-ever-after with this man; already planning with absolute certainty that she would do everything in her power to keep them apart.

Graham was shaking his head though, "I don't think so. I have my memories back but I can still feel the magical hold over me. It's like living in a dark fog, like I'll never be happy again. If it'd been true love the whole curse would be broken."

"Of course, only true love's kiss can break a curse… But it was her kiss that did it?"

He shrugged. "I suppose being the product of true love you get a little more bang for your buck."

"When did you become such an expert on love?" She was surprised that he had such insight on the matter.

"I'm not. I could be wrong. I've just had a lot of time to think things over down here." He glared at her accusingly. "Why are you asking me all this anyways?"

"I need to know if I'm going to stop the Savior from breaking the curse. And you're unfortunately the only person who remembers." She offered the half-truth. Her extracurricular activities and subsequent concerns about Emma was none of his business. Her resentment over his kissing the woman had yet to ebb completely. Regina didn't understand it. She'd had Emma in so many other ways that this man would never experience and yet knowing that his thin lips had simply kissed her was really getting under her skin.

"Emma will figure it out. She'll will find true love's kiss and she'll bring back the happy endings." He spoke with the conviction that all heroes had and it turned her stomach. She sneered viscously at him.

"Spouting the company line? How cliché. Don't bother with the good guy routine. We both know it doesn't suit you." She watched pleased as his resolve wilted slightly, her words striking a nerve. It was nice to know she hasn't lost her touch. "Well, as enlightening as our little chat has been I really must be going."

"No wait." His large hands wrapped around the bars like he meant to pry them loose, "You can't leave me down here."

"Oh Sheriff Graham." Her lips pouted and eyebrows wrinkled in an expression of faux pity. "You see, I would let you out but you're suffering from these delusions about wolves and a magical forest or some nonsense. I fear you're having a mental break down. I can't just let you out. You may be a danger to yourself and others."

"No, Regina." He called out to her as she started her departure back down the hall.

"Good night Huntsman." She raised her hand, waving her fingers teasingly without looking back.

"No! Let me out!" Regina heard the man howling and raving like one of his animals until the elevator shut tight, thankfully cutting off the despairing sounds.


	9. Mary Margarita

Emma sucked at the salt on the rim of her glass, letting the coarse grains bite at her taste buds until she couldn't take it and washed them down with a gulp of her margarita, the smoky tequila and lime's sweetness amplified by the brine on her tongue. The drink was good, if she said so herself since it was her own recipe. The secret to the perfect margarita was fresh-squeezed orange juice.

Mary Margret and Ruby laughed at something that happened on the screen and the blonde realized she had been staring at her cup again. Emma tried to redirect her attention to the television that was currently playing The Princess Bride. It had been one of the only movies all three women could agree on from Mary Margret's dated collection, which was also predominantly rated PG and under. She contained a sigh.

It wasn't that the hanging out with her two friends wasn't fun per se. Before they started the movie they giggled over pizza and then Emma introduced them to her margaritas. Her roommate might be a better cook than her but she knew her way around alcohol better than most having worked plenty of bartending jobs over the years. Both the schoolteacher and the waitress quickly became buzzed and giddy on her concoction. They were in wonder of the fiery liquor blossoming in their stomachs, spreading pleasantly all the way to their fingertips, and making them feel as though they were floating on air. Sometimes Emma felt as though she stepped back in time here. It went beyond the fact that everything seemed like it hadn't been updated since the 80's from the products that lined the shelves at the grocery to her computer at work to Mary Margret's rotary phone. It was like everyone had been frozen and forgotten how to live their lives. She could see why Henry created his delusion that she needed to bring happy endings back to the town.

Mary Margret remembered herself first, realizing that she was rapidly losing control of her facilities and tomorrow was still a school day. With a few hiccups and teetering about, she eventually got them settled in front of the television to watch the film after a bit of good-natured arguing. Emma had previously only seen her roommate drink a glass of white wine or two before bed, and usually woken up with a headache. The sheriff cringed to think what three margaritas would do to her the next morning. She glanced around Ruby, who was wolfing down the popcorn, to inspect the shorthaired woman. Her eyes were glassy with unshed tears, it would figure she would be an emotional drunk, and she mouthed along with the dialogue as Wesley and Princess Buttercup professed their undying love for one another. Comically Mary Margaret's mouth tried to find her straw, missing a few times before she could slurp up her drink.

Emma thankfully recognized the movie was almost over. She found a new patch of salt to suck upon in attempts to distract herself from where her thoughts really wanted to wander. Instead she thought about her meeting with Mr. Tillman. Already running a little late, she rushed over in her cruiser to a quaint ranch style house in the modest area of town. The home was small and a bit shabby but it was mostly clean. Michael had even put in the extra effort to put on a wrinkled dress shirt and shaved based on the fresh knick she spotted in his face. Ava and Nick were staying in a room together that had apparently been some sort of entertainment room for the single bachelor. Sports pendants hung on the walls and the miniature basketball hoop, nice but vintage speaker set, and lazy-boy armchair were pushed into a corner to make room for a couple twin sized beds with mismatched blankets. The occupants in the residence were still awkward and new with each other, the children standing tightly together and their estranged dad hovering at his distance from the pair. But Emma could see they were trying so hard to make it work.

The kids were striving to be well-behaved and agreeable, opposite of the thieving, ornery children she'd first met. The father was quick and apologetic to fix things she noticed were amiss. When she asked where the kids' toothbrushes were, noticing only one in the bathroom, they shrugged and shuffled their feet, telling her they'd just been using their fingers and paste. Michael turned bright red and horrified at the essential item he had missed, nearly running out to the pharmacy that second to rectify it. She had assured him, telling him it was all right, and they could survive another few hours with the brushes. She knew it would take time for them to start communicating their needs and wants to each other when for the time being they were just trying to get along.

It was a tentative start but Emma could see the makings of a family under the low-slung roof. She'd seen it in foster care. Her playmates would slowly but surely start connecting with a family, the shy smiles and uncertain laughter turning into the real thing. At first, she wondered when it would be her turn, but as the years added up she came to realize she couldn't trust anyone and closed herself off completely. If she'd had a chance, somewhere along the line she had missed it, but not the Tillman's. They had this precious fresh start with one another, and they cherished in it. Sure, she knew there would be times of yelling and tension but also the laughter and hopefully love that would follow. She left them together and relieved with her seal of approval but also scheduled another visit to see how they progressed further in the future.

She had spent longer there than she intended so by the time she got home Mary Margaret was already sitting up at the breakfast bar and chirping at her about pizza toppings. Emma had nearly groaned in frustration as it threw a wrench in her plans. She'd hoped that she would be able to get some alone time in the apartment to take care of herself to put in gently. The issue that she tried so carefully to avoid came flooding to the forefront in the way of images of Regina specifically from the unprecedented, indulgent afternoon they spent together.

She shifted in her seat, pressing her thighs together as the enticing throb between them went unattended. When Regina messaged her for one of their evening rendezvous, she instinctual wanted to text back with her usual affirmative response. But remembering her promise to have a girl's night with Mary Margaret and Ruby she was filled with disappointment she wouldn't be able to see the mayor. She sulked through her shift at the station, unable to think of anything besides missing out on the time she could have had with her. Then the idea struck her that she could easily swing by the mayor's office. Town hall had minimal staff, mostly because Regina was a control freak and partially because people were too intimidated to work for her. However, it left the building often vacant, perfect for her to sneak in unnoticed for the slightly nefarious scheme she was dreaming up.

The dutiful sheriff tried hard to dismiss the feeling that was pulling her towards the lovely brunette but in the end she couldn't resist. She breezed out of the station with a quick pit stop by her apartment to change her undergarments to complete the fantasy and god had it been fantastic.

Regina looked at her ravenously and the few skating touches she indulged in were light, near reverent that set her nerve ending on fire. Emma wasn't there to be simply observed though. She descended on the woman with conviction, drawing the pleasure out of her, and taking pleasure in it. Everything about Regina pulled her in, like a helpless moth to a flame she kept going back for more. The sounds she emitted, her infinite softness, and her taste float to the forefront of her mind. Her breathing hitched and she could feel her cheeks flush pink. She really needed to think of something else. She down the rest of her beverage hoping to drown out her thoughts. She couldn't be more relieved to see the credits begin to roll.

Mary Margaret predictably gave a romantic sigh, "I love a good happy ending."

"Me too." Ruby stretched her long limbs and read the time on her wristwatch. "Ugh, it's getting late. I should go. I've got to be up at 6:00 for the breakfast crowd."

"You don't have time for another one?" The teacher had apparently already forgotten she herself had to up in the morning for school as well.

"No, but let's do this again soon. I'll catch you ladies later."

"Alright, get home safe." Mary Margaret called after her.

"Night Ruby." Emma waved to her retreating form. The door clicked shut leaving the two roommates to themselves. The tipsy woman gave her a tequila-laced smile, climbing across the couch to be closer to her.

"So what did you think of the movie?"

"You know I've seen it before. It's been out for over twenty years." She laughed.

"I know that." The brunette gave her arm a playful swat. "I mean don't you just think it's so romantic."

"Yeah sure, but it's so unrealistic. Life just isn't like that. It doesn't tie up into a neat little package at the end."

"You don't think we all have that one special person out there?" She asked wistfully.

"Not really." She indifferently stirred her leftover ice cubes. When Mary Margaret didn't respond, she glanced over to see the woman looking positively anguished, her eyes misting over and lower lip practically trembling. Her stomach lurched at the sight.

"What's wrong?"

"Oh Emma… that's just so sad." Her head fell forward onto her shoulder and she sniffled pitifully. The blonde awkwardly patted her back.

"Er… It's alright." Emma soothed her unconvincingly. "I'm probably wrong. There might be love out there for everybody."

"No, I'm going to die alone." She wailed suddenly. "The man… the man I'm supposed to be with is already taken. How can that be? How can fate mess up that much?"

Instantly she knew they were talking about David, the coma patient turned amnesia patient and now reluctant husband to Kathryn Nolan. No matter how many times she cautioned the woman against getting emotionally attached to the married man, she seemed driven by some destructive force within her to sabotage her own happiness. Emma wanted to warn her again but she sighed feeling more sympathetic tonight. "You never know. Maybe it will all work out. And if not with David, I'm sure there is someone out there for you. You'll… find each other."

"You think so?" Her watery eyes blinked up at her.

"Yeah, I think so." She smiled kindly and Mary Margaret smiled back with bright optimism that Emma didn't think she could ever possess. She was glad when the brunette rested her head back on her shoulder so she wouldn't have to endure the blinding positivity any longer.

"I'm so glad we could hang out tonight. I feel like you haven't been around much lately." She slurred.

"Me too. I guess I'm still getting used to my new responsibilities at work." She offered the flimsy excuse. Her complicated relationship with Regina remained a secret between them for reasons that Emma had avoided to analyze. Her roomie hummed in recognition seemingly placated by the statement.

"That's great. So proud…" She trailed off and not a moment later she felt the woman start to twitch slightly a tell tale sign she was falling asleep. Emma chuckled ruefully suddenly finding herself a human body pillow and giving up on satisfying any of her needs for the evening. She decided to let her roommate drunkenly doze against her for a while longer; thinking of how tonight had been nice. It was hard to explain but Mary Margaret was the first person she felt really comfortable with since she got out of prison. She was just beginning to be able to admit that it felt something like family.

Still as nice as this was, her heart tugged in her chest, wishing she were next to Regina listening to her breathing evening out and feeling the heat radiating off her skin. Sometimes she pretended that she belonged there, that she wouldn't have to creep back into the chilled night and instead she could wrap herself around the woman and it would be safe and warm. It was a terrifying thought for someone who had given up on trying to find a place where she belonged.


	10. A Business Lunch

It wasn't the next day but the following that Emma saw Regina seated at a booth in Granny's with an iced tea and a bored expression schooled on her face. A book lay on the table in front of her; darks eyes flickered back and forth on the pages. It was unusual for the mayor to be amongst the commoners, generally taking her lunch back to her office if she stopped by the diner at all. Emma normally would take a stool at the countertop so she could chat with Ruby when the waitress had a moment to spare for her. But now the sheriff paused in the doorway, torn between her habitual behavior and trying her luck at crashing the mayor's table.

In a fit of bravery, the blonde decided to forgo the bar top. Striding confidently to the booth she slid in opposite of Regina with a crooked grin that she hoped was charming, "Hey."

The brunette looked up mildly startled. "Ms. Swan?"

"Yes?" Innocence dripped from her tone.

"What are you doing?" A perfect eyebrow arched ominously at her.

"Joining you for lunch." She plucked up one of the menus placed behind the salt and pepper shakers. Her eyes stayed trained on her options as she conversationally continued, "What do you think? The lasagna or the tuna melt?"

"And why do you think you're welcome to join me for lunch?"

"I don't know. I guess I thought since we are sleeping together-"

"That isn't the time or place to be discussing that." Regina hissed, looking around for anyone who may have overheard her.

"No one is listening to us. No one would dare listen to us." She rolled her eyes. Everyone sat at least one table away from the pair, two if it could be managed in the lunch rush. Regina had that affect on people and it gave them an unintentional but convenient bubble of privacy. "Relax."

"Ms. Swan-" She started to growl incensed. Emma gently interrupted her though.

"Look, I just thought we could have lunch together considering what we've been doing… I just- whatever. But if you really find it that unbearable I'll get up and leave right now." She offered sincerely.

Regina glowered for a moment, clenching and unclenching her jaw. Finally she huffed and tossed her hair back, suddenly the picture of causal. "The lasagna is fine but mine is better."

"Of course it is." Emma smirked.

"Hey Em, are you eating with the mayor?" The waitress sounded obviously dubious making Emma cringe at her lack of tack. Regina seemed unimpressed.

"Yeah, it's a business lunch. Just going over some particulars with Madam Mayor." Emma lied more for Regina's benefit. The older woman was uncomfortable enough as it was; work was a perfectly reasonable justification for them to be seen together.

"Right." Ruby fiddled with her notepad uncomfortably. "You ready to order?"

"Yeah, I'll have a lemonade and… a BLT with sweet potato fries."

"You got it." Ruby nodded.

"Thanks." Emma said as the girl darted off to her duties. Turning back to her reluctant lunch date, Regina seemed more relaxed than when she first arrived at least. She politely closed her book and tucked it into her briefcase. Her posture was prim and proper while she waited for Emma to initiate the conversation with a haughty stare.

"How's your day so far?" The blonde blurted out lamely. Her plan didn't really extend beyond infiltrating Regina's prickle defenses but she never claimed to be much of a planner. Fortunately for her, the other woman was willing to overlook her incompetence and pretend like there was nothing strange about them chatting in the middle of the afternoon in the center of the town's most popular eatery.

"It's fine." Stubbornly not elaborating. Ruby whizzed by dropping off a tall glass of lemonade on her way.

"What brings you to the diner?" Emma enquired further.

"Why? Am I not allowed?" She sniffed.

"No, it's not that. Just you normally don't dine with us peasants." The blonde jibed with a cautious chuckle. Regina however found her weak joke far funnier than she thought it was as she returned with heartier laughter. The sound thrilled up her spine and her stomach dipped like she was on a roller coaster.

The brunette explained, "I felt like getting out of the office. And Sydney was getting rather under foot. I needed a break."

Sydney Glass the lead reporter for the Daily Mirror at times acted like mayor's right hand man but often just followed her around with a pathetic moony expression on his face. Clearly the man pined for Regina and she couldn't really blame him. It didn't stop the sickening tendrils of jealousy to irrationally wrap around her. She swallowed hard, swiping fingers over the condensation gathering on her glass, "He's around an awful lot…"

"He finds joy in helping me with little things." Regina responded coyly, watching her intently for a reaction. Emma tried to maintain her neutrality but from the little smirk playing at the older woman's lips she wasn't doing a good job of it.

The blonde gave up pretense and gritted her teeth, "What kind of things?"

Mirth danced in the dark eyes as she grinned wickedly, "Oh this and that. You needn't worry though sheriff. Only you help me with certain, essential things."

Her cheeks burned at how obvious she was but still managed to smile cockily at her, "So I'm essential?"

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves." The words held no malice though. Emma sat back and sipped on her lemonade, feeling more at ease, her doubts over her ill-conceived luncheon dissipating. She suddenly was aware that they hadn't truly fought in quite some time, of course they still snipped and spat with each other, but somewhere along the way their total ire shifted to something else that made her feel vibrant and passionate.

"Here you go." Ruby startled her out of thought, setting plates in front of both of them as she managed to rush Emma's meal out with Regina's fancy looking salad that was most likely solely on the menu for the mayor.

"Thanks Rubes. Looks great."

"Yes Ms. Lucas, thank you," Her voice polite and yet dismissive at the same time. The waitress took the hint and fled from the pair with a quick nod. Regina simply turned back to Emma as if she hadn't chased off her friend and began delicately eating her greens. "And how have you been spending your day?"

Dumping a large glob of ketchup on her plate Emma shrugged. "I got caught up on some reports. I came here from the pharmacy. Some kids have been tagging the side of the building and Mr. Clark wanted to file a compliant. I suggested he think of investing in some white paint."

"The citizens tax dollars hard at work I see."

"Just trying to keep the peace ma'am." She winked.

"How was your movie night?" Emma was somewhat surprised she asked as she answered slowly after chewing a bite of her sandwich.

"It was fine."

"What did you watch?"

"Princess Bride."

She guffawed. "Of course."

Emma wondered, not for the first time, what had happened between the two women to drive such a rift between them. Regina and Mary Margaret made little comments that suggested they knew each other better than what they would lead her to believe. Whenever she tried to broach the subject with her roommate, she would say that she hardly knew the woman. Regina had just been the mayor for as long as she could remember. It was something she was learning to let go. "It was alright…"

Though what she remembered most about the night didn't involve the movie. "Honestly, I was pretty distracted the whole night."

Emma peered through her lashes expectantly and Regina readily took the bait with a little sparkle flashing in her eyes. "Oh? By what?"

"You."

A salacious grin spread across her face for a spilt second before she recalled where they were. Her serious demeanor returned, speaking with sugary, faux remorse, "I'm very sorry to have disturbed your evening."

Emma smirked, knowing full well that Regina was never sorry about anything, "Mm, it was very inconvenient."

"I think it would only be appropriate if I offered you some restitution."

"What kind of restitution?"

"Let's continue this conversation at the sheriff's station and I'll…"

"Can't. Leroy is still sleeping off one of his binges in the drunk-tank." That and being around the volatile woman and prison cells seemed like an extremely bad idea, she added in her head. The blonde figured she should go release her prisoner soon but all her rational thoughts were slipping through her fingers. Instead she was consumed with desire that was becoming harder and harder for her to resist. "But my apartment is empty until after the last school bell."

The mayor was already taking two crisp twenties out of her pocketbook. A noise of protest came from the back of Emma's throat but she was ignored. Regina set the money on the table, "Restitution my dear. Let's go."

It was too much money to leave and their meals were only half finished but they were out of their seats in a flash. Neither noticed any odd stares from the other patrons at their sudden departure. They were quick and quiet on their trek; just a flurry of rustling coats, shoes tapping on the stairs, and her keys jingling in the lock. No sooner had the door swung open, and Regina was on her. Her briefcase tossed carelessly at the entrance, the brunette's hands ripped at her jacket and lips dappled kisses along her jaw, trailing frustratingly close to her own lips but never touching. Emma quickly reciprocated, shoving her trench coat off her shoulders so she could drag her own hands over the royal blue dress that clung to her curves.

Emma ducked her head so she could kiss her neck as they struggled to get across the room, too wrapped up in one another. The blonde held Regina flushed against her, holding her around the waist like her life depended on it. It felt like she could never be close enough to this woman. Suddenly her back collided with one of the wooden columns that broke up the apartment, halting their progression. She turned her head, looking at the stairs that were so near yet so far, and incidentally granting Regina more access to lick along her collarbone exposed by the deep v-cut of her shirt. She found her voice, "We should take this upstairs."

Regina stopped kissing her chest just long enough to respond, "No I think I like you here."

"Regina…" She strained against the woman but she held fast, keeping her pinned with her weight. Her hands found their way under her shirt, shoved her bra aside to stroke her breasts. Emma couldn't help but mewl under the touch, the arousal already settling heavily between her thighs.

She heard a dark chuckle, "A bit eager are we?"

"Some of us have been waiting longer than others." Emma growled, not taking kindly to be mocked at this point.

"You're the one who ran out on me from my office." The mayor reminded her between kisses on her throat.

"Well, I didn't intend on getting called to take Leroy to lockup last night or Mary Margaret falling asleep on me the night before." She gasped when nails lightly scraped over her nipple.

"Poor Emma." The older woman still taking great amusement in her predicament, "Can't get any satisfaction?"

Emma began canting her hips into those crushing into her, searching desperately for friction. Generally she made it a rule not to beg, however the brunette teased her mercilessly as she gently fondled her breasts and sucked at the skin on her shoulder, so today she made an exception. "I need you inside me."

Her voice was needy and desperate but Regina was giving no quarter, "What's the magic word?"

"'Gina. Fuck me. Please fuck me." Something rumbled in the back of her throat as she bit down hard onto Emma's shoulder.

"Since you asked so nicely…" Regina tore open the button on her jeans, shoving her hand down her pants and underwear. The blonde groaned as her fingers skated over her wet, swollen sex, wasting no time to find her entrance and pushing two digits firmly inside of her.

"Oh god yes." Emma rocked into her. Regina's movements were restricted from the confined space though it mattered little to the blonde who was already embarrassingly close to spiraling out of control. The fingers curled against the most sensitive spot inside her, making her frantic with pleasure. She moaned and panted wantonly for the woman who suddenly shifted her arm's position, the heel of her palm pulsing against her clit with each wave like motion of her fingers buried in her sex. They pushed roughly into each other and Emma knew Regina's arms muscles must have been burning from the unyielding force with which she drove into her. But it felt so incandescently divine as she climbed to great pleasure she never wanted it to end. Until the older woman's voice husked in her ear, "Come for me."

She nearly cried Regina's name in relief as her orgasm rippled outwards. Her body shuddered with the sweet torment starting at her center and rushing intoxicatingly outward through her. The brunette was considerate enough to do her the favor of holding her up until she could regain her senses. Still breathing heavily, sweat gathering at her hairline from her body overheating so quickly, Emma pried her eyes open to stare into the fiery brown gaze watching her, waiting for her. Regina delicate removed her hand, bringing her drenched fingers to her lips. Emma could only look on enthralled as the other woman sucked her them into her mouth, cleaning them of her arousal.

The sheriff managed to surge forward on shaky legs, pushing passed her companion but also grabbing her wrist and tugging her along. "Come on. I need to be laying down for the rest of this."

/

It was going on three o'clock when Regina realized the time. Stretching her muscles, slightly sore but very sated, she slipped out of the tangled mess of sheets. Emma harrumphed at her leaving but was rather too spent to do much about it. She hadn't really gone easy on the poor girl. The mayor set about the task of finding her undergarments sliding back into them. She slinked back into her dress that had thankfully found it's way of the back of a chair and was not hopelessly rumpled on the ground that had been the fate of Miss Swan's disposed clothes.

Though with the exception of clothes they had strewn about the room in their hurry to undress, Emma kept her room relatively neat even if it was cramped mostly with her roommate's things, having been storage space before she moved in. The quilted-flower comforter that was now scrunched at the bottom of the bed and delicate, antiqued furniture screamed of Mary Margaret's influence. She could barely tell that the sheriff lived here at all, the lofted attic devoid of anything really personalized to the woman. No framed pictures of friends left behind or collectibles that spoke to Emma's aesthetic adorned the surfaces of her room. She wondered if it was the same for her apartment back in Boston, and almost asked before she remembered she didn't care about that kind of thing. This was about seeking pleasure, not making friends.

She refocused, sitting in the small stool that was positioned in front of the modest vanity to fix her mussed appearance. With a borrowed brushed riddled with blonde hairs, her umber locks were tidily combed back into place. She snatched a tissue from its box to wipe away some smudged eye makeup and smeared lipstick. Finally plucking up a body spray to mask the smell of sex she was sure she reeked of, she sprayed the perfume and the light scent of strawberries filled her nose. She sighed softly then frowned realizing that a scant amount of liquid sloshed in the bottom of the bottle. She didn't recognize the label with illustrated strawberries falling down the side. "You're almost out."

"Hm?" Emma lifted her head from her pillows, hair falling carelessly over her eyes.

"Your perfume. You're almost out." She reiterated.

"Oh yeah." The younger woman snuggled back into her bed seemingly unperturbed. "I guess I'll have to go without for a while."

"Why? Have they stopped producing it?" Regina demanded not liking it one bit.

"No, it's common enough out in the rest of the world." She rolled on her side propping her head up. "But here in Storybrooke all your beauty products are generic, like I haven't seen anything name brand here, at all. What's up with that?"

Regina couldn't explain to Emma why this was the case. When she enacted the curse, she knew nothing of this realm. She had to rely on her magic to fill in the blanks and magic didn't know about Herbal Essences or Chanel so all the products ended up simple and boring, a small detail in enhancing the drudgery of their hopefully unhappy lives.

"Why do you care about my perfume?"

"Just making an observation." She acted nonchalant. The mayor would never admit that she had grown fond of the aroma, especially when it danced intoxicatingly along the pale skin she explored on a regular basis now. Regina pushed away the thought and made her way back to the bed. Sitting on the edge she presented her back to the blonde, "Zip me please."

The blankets rustled behind her as the other woman sat up. Instead of simply doing as she was asked, Regina felt lips caressing her shoulder blade and a hand settled on her waist. The mayor shivered contentedly as the lazy kisses continued at the top of her spine. Her voice hummed into her as her mouth trailed downward, "You'll have to tell me your secret someday."

The queen tensed. Surely she couldn't know her biggest, most bad secret, "Whatever do you mean?"

"How you managed to look perfect after our activities and I look like I've been lost in the woods for a few days." With a final peck on the back of her neck, the high whine of the zipper being dragged up ended the pleasant sensation.

Regina smirked, reestablishing her confidence. She stood from the bed once again and turned to look down at Emma who had the white sheet wrapped around her nude form. She stroked the wayward golden curls without a thought, "Maybe someday. I'll give you a hint though. It involves a brush."

"Never heard of it." Emma retorted with a cheeky expression.

"Clearly." Regina couldn't resist her amused chuckle, the reply that would normally come out acidic and droll, surprisingly soft and affectionate. Then announcing, "I have to go."

"Back to the office?" The blonde settled down on the mattress once more, looking entirely too comfortable and content. She just looked back at Emma, struck with the fond familiarity that had somehow surreptitiously developed over the months since her unexpected arrival. The Evil Queen tried to summon the feeling of hatred and need to destroy her perceived opponent but she came up empty. In fact, all she wanted to do was climb back into the bed and press herself back into the warm, welcoming body that lay there. The feeling overwhelmed her like a tidal wave and she was being swept out to sea away from everything safe and known. She hadn't felt this craving for another person since… she couldn't admit it to herself even.

"Regina?" Her eyes snapped back to the younger woman watching her curiously.

"Sorry, no. Henry will be home soon. Shouldn't you be getting back to the station?" She focused on remaining cool and collected despite the feeling as though she were drowning.

"No I think I'll stay here." Emma adorably curled up on her side, doing nothing to curb her desire to go to her.

"You're skipping out on the rest of the day?"

"You are. Why can't I?" Her eyes slipping shut.

"Aren't you forgetting something?" She cocked an eyebrow.

"What could I possibly be forgetting?" Emma remained unmoved and uncaring.

"So you plan on leaving Leroy in lockup from another night?"

"Shit." The expletive fell from her mouth and Regina turned to go with a victorious smirk, leaving the sheriff to scramble around for her clothing and giving her a chance to getaway.

/

"Mom?"

"In the kitchen." Regina called back to her son. His sneakers smacked clumsily against the hardwood floor and the noisy, jangling sound of his backpack drew near until he appeared in the doorway.

"Why are you home so early?" He shifted on his spot like he might be in trouble.

"I just finished early at the office today." She set aside the coffee cup she'd been nursing, pretending that she hadn't just been staring mindlessly at her laptop computer screen, which was mocking her with a page confirming a purchase she had no business purchasing. It filled her with unknown dread at the implication of it all, at her new _feelings_ towards his birth mother. Sharply snapping the device closed and offering him a false, bright smile she asked, "Would you like a snack?"

"Sure." He shrugged amiably and took a chair at the island, letting his bag fall heavily onto the floor. The brunette paid no attention to minor racket that would normally bring about her ire as she moved to rummage through the fridge for an appropriate snack. She found celery sticks, already washed and cut. On autopilot she set them on the counter and took the peanut butter and box of raisins from the cabinet. They called it 'ants on a log' when Henry was smaller, one of his favorites.

"Mom, what's going on with you and Emma?" His question came out of the blue.

Panic gripped at her throat. He couldn't possibly know about the nature of their relationship. Quickly, she reigned in the fear, sounding causal as possible. "What do you mean? Nothing is going on."

"When I passed by Granny's, I overheard Ruby telling Ms. Blanchard that you guys had lunch together and left in a hurry." As he spoke, she kept calmly spreading a healthy dollop of peanut butter on each stalk but mentally cursed herself. She had been so caught up in the moment with Ms. Swan, consumed with desire for her, that she didn't consider what people would think if they had left together. She should have followed Emma after a few minutes or something to cover their trail. She was not accustomed to making such mistakes, but something about the blonde clouded her judgment. He continued to ask, "Did you guys get into a fight?"

"First of all, it's rude to eavesdrop." The mother in her reprimanded him but he offered her no remorse on the matter, staring innocently at her. "And it was just a business lunch. I had town matters to discuss with the sheriff."

"Ruby said you guys looked mad when you left. Like you were storming out."

"Well, she was mistaken." Which was true seeing as the reason for their hasty departure was not anger, rather a different sin entirely that drove them from the diner. "We simply had to leave because Ms. Swan left some papers that we needed in her apartment."

"Oh."

"This is why gossiping is bad Henry." Regina lectured as she lined up the dried grapes on the peanut goop she'd finished distributing. "It starts rumors that aren't true and can be hurtful."

The tips of his ears turned pink at being scolded, but his shame only lasted a moment, "So you and Emma are getting along?"

Setting the plate of food in front of him, she tried to think of a way to avoid his uncomfortable questioning but came up blank. Sighing, she came up with her best diplomatic answer, "She is my employee. We have to work together in a professional capacity. That's all."

"You never invited Sheriff Graham to dinner. He was your employee." He pointed out then took a bite of celery with a loud crunch.

"That's not the same. And it was one time." She countered.

"Maybe, but I still think you've been getting along." He plucked one of the raisins from its row and popped it in his mouth.

"Why do you say that?" She asked genuinely curious.

"I don't know. You've been acting different for a while, less… evil."

"Henry!" She protested his word choice even though it was accurate at times.

"You know what I mean Mom. You seem happier I guess."

"How can you tell?"

He tilted his head thoughtfully, "You don't snap at people anymore. Mr. Glass hasn't been around to help you plot anything. And you smile more, like before…"

He left his thought hanging but Regina could guess what he would've said; before he received the storybook, before he found out she was the evil queen, before when he was just a little boy who loved his mommy. She swallowed hard. "Henry, I never meant for this distance to happen between us."

"I know." He looked down at his plate and softly admitted, "Me neither."

Neither hers nor Henry's statement was much of an apology but it was enough for now. She forgot sometimes what a brilliant and observant boy she raised. Begrudgingly, she had to admit he'd been right. She couldn't think of the last time she'd yelled at someone, even when Mary Margret accidentally plowed into her the other day. And usually, the mayor kept Sydney close to aid her in the various wicked schemes she concocted. However, when he came by the office to bleat at her annoyingly that she'd basically been ignoring him as of late, Regina found she no longer had the stomach to string the man along. She didn't want to bat her eyes at him or pat his thigh to give him an inkling of hope. It had given her a sick feeling in the back of her throat, making her flee the persistent man. Deciding to take lunch in the diner was what led her to Emma that afternoon. Everything seemed to be leading her to that damn woman.

Regina smiled fondly back at Henry, trying to dispel her heavier thoughts, "Why don't you take the rest of you snack upstairs and start some homework."

"I can eat in my room?"

"Just keep it at your desk."

"Cool." He hopped off the chair, repositioning his backpack on his slim shoulders then grabbing his celery. He started to scurry out of the room but stopped short in the doorway, turning back around to look at her, "I think Emma was right."

She sincerely doubted that Emma could be right about anything but she inquired, "About what?"

"She said to bring back the happy endings we needed to create other people's happy endings, including yours." He beamed at her the trotted off to his bedroom as if he didn't have a care in the world. Regina, however, felt like a bomb had just gone off in the kitchen.


	11. Missing This

Emma was having a staring contest with her phone, the device placed squarely in front of her on the kitchen counter. The screen stayed frustratingly black and unlit with lack of messages. It'd been just over a week since she had last seen or spoken with Regina. The only communication they had was text messages, little engaging blurbs she sent asking to see the brunette who inevitable responded with a brusque, standoffish excuse to keep her away. Then tonight when she messaged there was no response at all. Chewing on her bottom lip, she willed the phone to chime and announce that the mayor required her presence but nothing. She huffed in frustration.

Mary Margret turned over in her sleep and she tensed up, fearing the soft noise would have disturbed her roommate. The dark pixie-cut remained resting on its pillow though and light snoring pervaded the room signifying her slumber still prevailed. The two women had said goodnight an hour ago but Emma had never got into her bed. Instead she alternated in sitting at her vanity to organize then reorganize her beauty products and restlessly paced the short length of the attic. Her mind was going over and over their last steamy encounter, trying to come up with something she had said or done to make Regina banish her, but it came up empty.

In fact the last time they rolled around in the very sheets still wrinkled on her bed had been passionate and intense and even still heated up her veins when she thought of it; then when the normally cold mayor left she'd seemed playful and charmed, if somewhat distracted. Regina had looked down on her gently, gingerly stroking her assuredly wild curls, which sent her heart hammering in her chest. If she didn't know any better, she would have said that the older woman was going to lean down and kiss her. But that was something they just didn't do.

The thought of kissing the brunette was beginning to consume her. Even her subconscious was pulling her towards the other woman. When she managed to quiet her mind enough to fall asleep, her dreams would be vividly of Regina. Sometimes the images would be of their sex, hot and dirty that left her wanting when she woke up and in need of a cold shower. But mostly the dreams were soft and fuzzy, like a gossamer sheet was covering the scenes. They would be laying side by side, her fingers trailing over olive skin in an unhurried way, no pressing desire behind the touch. She would gaze into rich brown eyes memorizing the patterns there, dark, warm mocha on the outer edges of her irises but around her pupil bright amber struck out like orange flames.

Regina would cup her cheek, running her thumb over a smattering of freckles there. It would draw her attention to the plump, red lips curled into a faint smile, somehow mocking and sweet all at once. They were so close it wouldn't take much for her to tilt in and brush her own lips against them. Slowly she inched forward but always just as they were about to connect, she would jerk awake. Then she was left feeling empty and yearning like her chest had been hollowed out, like when she first woke on the thin mattress pad of her jail cell and there was nothing kicking against her belly.

Regina had become a problem but she was also the solution. The time they spent together, whether it was tousling in the sheets, playful banter, or knockdown, drag-out arguing, it filled her back up with whatever it was she was missing. The sensation would sing through her veins, light and wild and foreign to her. Inevitably it would ebb to a quiet hum, a lullaby, just enough to get her to sleep. Then one morning she would wake up exhausted, more tired than when she had gone to bed. The picture of Regina would be fresh in her mind and it was as if she needed to see the woman. She was addicted and right now she needed another fix. She didn't know when her feelings had shifted from simple, raw lust to something more.

But it became more and more apparent as the week passed and her craving deepened. The sheriff found herself becoming more and more irate since her inexplicable exile from the mayor. So much so that Mary Margret had commented on it tonight. She gently pried in her motherly way that made her feel guilty for some reason, asking if there was anything was the matter. Emma assured her nothing was truly wrong, simply a couple nights of fitful sleep had left her cranky. Her roommate seemed unconvinced but dropped it. And Emma was sure to keep her spirits up as they made dinner together then watched the goofy sitcom the schoolteacher liked to watch on Thursday nights. After that, Mary Margret was placated and sent the blonde off to bed with a mug of steaming milk for her and a smile just as warm.

Emma dutifully went off to her room but quickly abandoned her beverage, which was still sitting on her nightstand, chilled and untouched. After being unable to settle, she snuck back down stairs to nick the bottle of white wine she knew Mary Margret stashed in the back of the fridge even though the blonde thought it was too sweet and would probably give her headache in the morning. However instead her body moved on autopilot and next thing she knew she was standing in the kitchen with her coat and shoes on ready to leave the apartment with one little problem. She didn't have anywhere to go or rather she didn't have permission to turn up where she wanted to be.

Making a most likely reckless split second decision, Emma swiped up her phone from the counter, jammed her hands into her pockets, and made her way out into the night.

/

The hot water should feel heavenly on her on the tensed muscles of her shoulder but Regina remained rigid as a rock under the waterfall. Her hands tried to rub away the knots that twisted unpleasant just beneath her skin, though her search for relief was fruitless. She shut her eyes to attempt some meditative breathing, only to be assaulted with images of Emma Swan swimming against her eyelids. Her eyes flew open to stare at the safe white, stone tile of her shower. She huffed in irritation.

The reason for her aggravation was entirely the sheriff's fault. The meddling, awful sheriff who had some how managed to become valiant and good without the influence of her idiotic Charming parents. How dare that do-gooder presume to know how to make her happy? She was the entire reason for her unhappiness. At first she was a little pink bundle of joy for Snow White and her prince; a cherry on top of their perfect fairytale ending. The only way to ensure their misery and her victory was to take away that precious baby, regardless of her innocence. And now she returned an even more insufferable adult, stomping around _her_ town and trying to take away _her_ son in that garish red jacket like some ridiculous, half-baked hero from one of Henry's comic books.

The worst part of it was Regina had been lulled into a sense of security around the woman, thinking that she was perfectly harmless and oblivious to the big picture. But the entire time she was trying to bring back the happy endings and the queen wouldn't stand for it. Her angry thoughts built and grew in her chest, swarming and buzzing like a cloud of bees. The thick, heady darkness that she was all too familiar with crescendos in her ears, promising power and vengeance, and this time she was all too eager to embrace the toxic feeling.

"Regina?" The humming of madness around her broke off suddenly, like a needle ripped off its record. She blinked perplexed as to what interrupted her and then she heard again.

"Regina." Wiping her hand across the fogged glass of her shower stall, she saw Emma of all people standing in her bathroom.

"What the hell are you doing here Ms. Swan?" She hissed indignantly.

"You didn't answer your phone." She shrugged, not daunted by the obvious ire exuding from the brunette.

"And you took that as an invitation to break into my home?"

"Your front door was unlocked." Emma defended and she remembered she had yet to make her final rounds to secure her home for the evening. "I'm the sheriff. When you didn't answer, I thought something was wrong so I came to check things out."

Both women knew it was a paper-thin excuse at best. Regina continued to scowl at her.

"Well now that you've checked me out." She gave a pointed look to the sheriff whose eyes shameless roamed the outline of her form, "You can see yourself out."

The blonde balked at her, mouth hanging open in an unbecoming manner. Clearly Emma had not anticipated being sent away with such absolute terseness. She watched as her stunned expression faded into one of annoyed determination. The sheriff suddenly glared sharply, her eyes jade and piercing like when she taking a chainsaw to her apple tree months ago. She retorted snippily, "Fine."

The other woman didn't make to leave though as she peeled her shirt over her head defiantly tossing it on the ground. Regina ground out, "What do you think you are doing now?"

Despite her projected anger, the queen's eyes locked on the lithe form rebelliously disrobing in her bathroom. It had been nine days since she had last allowed herself to indulge in the blonde and her body was rapidly responding to the smooth, pale skin that was being revealed. Emma shimmied out of her jeans, "I'm taking a shower, like usual, and then leaving."

"This is _highly_ inappropriate Miss Swan." She seethed but Emma was stripping off her bra and underwear undeterred. When she slid the door open, steam escaped and a chill ran over Regina's skin. At least she convinced herself it was from the whoosh of cool air not the alluring, nude figure moving towards her. Regina backed herself into the wall to avoid touching the younger woman.

Emma shrugged stepping under the spray acting as if she were doing nothing wrong, "I always shower before I leave here."

Regina opted not to respond instead turning away from her intruder. It was her best bet to resist temptation, however the image of Emma soaking wet was already seared in her mind. Her hair no longer in springy blonde curls, rather darker and slicked down, gave her a more dangerous, enigmatic appearance. The trails of water that fell down the curves and plains of her body enticed her to follow the same paths with her hands. She took a few deep breaths, doing her best to tamper down her unwelcome thoughts.

The brunette did not flinch when she felt to arms encircle her waist; it was as if she knew the Emma had been steadily drawing nearer to her. Regina stifled a moan, biting her lip hard, as the other woman shifted closer still and her front pressed gently but firmly into her back. It was all she could do to stand still and not lean into the embrace to feel the breasts pushed into her back more fully and grind herself pleasingly into the solid hips behind her. She wanted so much more from Emma but the woman simply held her. Regina felt her cheek rest on her shoulder, lips murmured softly on her skin, "I've missed… this. But if you want me to go, I'll leave right now."

The mayor was struck with the docile tone to sheriff's voice. There was no purr of seduction or playful phrase to coerce the older woman into bed. Instead, she sounded honest and strangely sad, the tenor plucking at the brunette's heartstrings. _I've missed… this._ During the pause, Regina had been certain that Emma was going to say you and her heart fluttered in her chest at the idea of the woman missing her. But it was as though she changed her mind in the last second. Saying _this_ was safer. _This_ wasn't personal. _This_ was just sex.

Regina must have hesitated too long, because there was a nearly inaudible sigh and arms began to withdraw, taking her silence as an indication to depart. Her hand flew to a forearm that almost slipped away from her completely. In her best evil queen voice she intoned, "If you don't put your hands on me right now, you won't like the consequences."

Emma adhered to her command quickly. She could hear the smirk in her voice as her confidence returned, vibrating promisingly against her shoulder, "Yes Madam Mayor."

Two hands glided over her torso, running up and down her sides, until they cupped her breast, massaging the rounded flesh. The brunette's head fell back at the sensation, her brain quickly going blank with pleasure. Pink lips kissed and nipped at her exposed neck. Regina rocked back into Emma, their bodies moving together with little friction as the water continued to cascade down on them. She felt harden nipples brushing across her skin and the blonde began to push her center into her ass as Regina began to sway erotically into her touch. Emma moaned at the feeling of the brunette finally shifting against her. Her hands became more focused as her thumb swirled purposefully around one of the darker woman's nipples and finger gently pinched the other.

Regina exhaled contentedly. It wasn't just arousal building between her legs, but also the feeling of ease seeping into her bones that had eluded her all week, as Emma continued her unhurried ministrations. All of the scalding showers, attempted mediation, and cups of chamomile tea she forced down her throat did nothing to relax her like being surrounded by Emma Swan. Fingers sliding relentlessly over her abdomen then back to her breasts in fluid movements and her tongue playing against her pulse point, she felt suspended in bliss. She thought about letting the blonde touch her like this until the water ran cold but she knew there was another high she could be chasing.

"Emma," The name she avoided all week finally, breathily escaped her lips, "Stop teasing."

The younger woman immediately dipped her hand to Regina's center, when she would normally take a moment to enjoy the mayor's overt desire. She idly wondered if Emma feared being kicked out if she didn't comply, but the thought quickly dissipated as long fingers skimmed through her folds. The wetness there was different than anywhere else, it was warmer and thicker. Emma dragged her newly slippery fingers up to the brunette's clit, gingerly circling around it. The sensation was too perfect to resist, "Yes, just like that. Don't stop."

Regina panted and Emma groaned. Her fingers stroked the nub slowly at first but the pace didn't last as the older woman started canting her hips with more urgency. Each swipe over her hypersensitive bundle of nerves sent jolts of pleasure through her until she couldn't hold on anymore. Her body stiffened as her orgasm hit and she gave a strangled cry. The release was relatively shallow in comparison to others she'd received from Ms. Swan, the tension and pleasure evaporating rather quickly, but it had been exactly what she needed.

The spray of water had become tepid as she basked in the feeling of Emma nuzzling behind her ear, and caressing her stomach. Regina suddenly needed to have the blonde. She slammed the faucet off. Grabbing a thin wrist, she pulled her out of the stall. They were dripping wet, water splashed onto the tile and then onto the carpet as she towed Emma into her bedroom. But she couldn't slow down to bother with towels as she practically threw Emma onto the mattress and climbed on top of her, settling between pliant thighs. "My turn."

"Oh god, Regina." Emma rasped as their bodies meddled together. The queen hummed her approval as she lapped at the water droplets clinging to her companion's chest. She sucked a taut nipple into her mouth, flicking her tongue over and over it, delighted with the gasps and whimpers the motion produced. She gave the same treatment to the other until she had the sheriff writhing under her, tears pricking the corners of her eyes as she got more desperate for release. Regina took mercy; sliding down so her mouth was now level with Emma's sex. Her tongue delved into the pink, heated flesh eager to taste the sweet wetness, and god was the blonde drenched.

The younger woman's hips shot off the bed before Regina pinned them down with two hands. She looked up at the form arching into her mouth, spine bowed and skin flushed, as she lavished attention on her clit. She groaned into her center at the sight of Emma becoming gloriously undone. Before she could reach her climax though, the brunette wrenched her mouth away and sat up, resulting in a disappointed sob from the woman. Regina didn't give her time to protest though, grabbing one of her flexible legs and pulling it up to her shoulder. Two fingers easy plunged into her, the position allowing the brunette to push deeper into her companion than usual. Emma gasped, "God yes."

The mayor reveled in the tight, silky muscles clenching around her digits as she began thrusting into Emma. The woman below her letting out little cries of approval as she began to move in and out of her quicker. Regina watched riveted as her stomach flexed and breasts bounced with each thrust of her hand, her own hips unconsciously rocking with them as she pushed herself against the back of Emma's thigh. The blonde had already been so close and Regina was rapidly increasing her force, panting with effort, until Emma stuttered, "I'm coming. I'm coming. Regina!"

Her body trembled and the queen felt a warm rush of fluid over her hand as the younger woman came hard, unexpectedly yet to Regina's delight ejaculating a little. When the waves of pleasure subsided and Emma became aware of her surrounding again, she groaned as she felt the stickiness between their thighs. She mumbled embarrassed, cheeks pink partially from the exertion, "I'm sorry…"

"Don't be." Regina crooned, placing kisses on the calf muscles still by her head. "You'll just have to help me clean it up."

She gently lowered the leg back down on the bed. Then moved up the bed, figuring Emma was not in a state to move yet, she straddled the prone blonde's face. She looked up at her rapturously. Regina smiled down devilishly, "Start here."

Indicating to where her thigh shined with wetness, Emma readily turned her head to begin lapping up the mess she made there. The older woman moaned, knowing soon enough the skilled tongue was going to be licking her sex so fervently. It was going to be a long night.


	12. Shattered

Emma regained consciousness before she regained her physical functions. She stared at the backs of her eyelids for a moment, trying to summon the energy to open them, wondering why she didn't smell coffee that Mary Margret would immediately start upon waking. She didn't even hear roommate shuffling around or humming off key, which was even odder since she had never woken up before the schoolteacher in her entire stay at the apartment. Her eyes finally fluttered open, the world slowly coming into focus, and she nearly gasped at what greeted her. The blond was not in her cozy little room, with soft grumble of the radiator and dust floating lazily in the sunbeams overhead.

The differences were suddenly so drastically apparent. The room was quieter and the air seemed crystal clear without the allergens that normally had her sniffling for the first part of the day. The first rays of sunlight shone through the gauzy, white curtains casting a golden glow about the room. But all of this didn't strike her half as much as Regina lying on the pillow next to her, the white sheets and duvet tucked around her, and still sleeping peacefully. Emma could only gaze in wonder at the beautiful woman before her.

It was as if her dream came to life, as she tentatively ran her fingertips down the older woman's bare arm as if to make sure she was real. The brunette didn't stir under the touch, her full lips simply ticked up momentarily in a reflexive smile, then relaxed again. Emma leaned in a little closer, feeling emboldened to continue her observations. Prior, she been deprived of the opportunity. After they exhausted each other, Regina would allow her to bask in the warmth their bodies created and rest a moment, but inevitably she would get a sharp nudge signifying it was time for her to leave. She'd never actually stayed the night so she wanted to take advantage.

When Regina was conscious, she projected a commanding presence and was terrifying gorgeous much like the evil queen Henry painted her out to be. But like this, calm and unguarded, she appeared to be much more like the dozing damsel of the tale Snow White. Her umber locks coiffed and wavy, feathered lashes resting demurely against her cheeks, and lips plump and red even without the assistance of her usual bold lipstick. She looked, not quite innocent or naïve because she couldn't imagine associating those words with the older woman, but tranquil, unburdened with whatever damage she carried around inside.

Emma truly didn't know anything about her past but she could recognize when someone had once upon a time been irrevocably broken because she knew what it felt like. She could see the signs. Her and Regina were not all that different from each other; they wore their solitude like armor against the world, keeping people at a distance with their distrust, and emanating strength to maintain control of every situation. No, the blonde decided, Regina was nothing like either of the fairytale characters because no one was ever as cut and dried as good or evil. She was just a woman, more beautiful than most perhaps and not without her flaws.

Her eyes flicked down the scar on her upper lip, not quite as defined in her slumbering state. Emma noticed the mark usually became more pronounce when she was angry, the line deepening with her ire. She didn't realize that she had gotten so close to the other woman's face but she suddenly became aware that her nose was very nearly brushing against Regina's. Her lips hovered dangerously close to the enticing lips just a few centimeters in front of her. A magnetic energy buzzes in the scant space between them just like in her dreams, kinetic and raw and somehow magical. Emma fought the pull but she felt as though it were a losing battle.

But then her companion's eyes opened slowly, brown irises warm and rested, looked contentedly at her for a second and Emma almost grinned. However, the tenderness disappeared in a flash, eyes widening in alarm. The mayor shoved her away hard and Emma scrabbled as far as possible to the other side of the bed and still keep her modesty. Now the eyes flared with molten anger, her tone seething with rage like the blonde hadn't seen before, "What the hell are you still doing here?"

Now she glared at the hostility rolling off the other woman, quickly gearing up for a fight with practiced ease, "Calm down Regina. I fell asleep. I'm sorry, it's not the end of the world."

Regina remained unappeased though, standing and wrenching the blankets away from Emma leaving her exposed. She fumbled with a left-behind sheet to recover herself the best she could despite knowing the other woman had intimate knowledge of her body; she just didn't want to feel quite so vulnerable when arguing with Regina who was practically spitting venom at her. "So you thought you'd molest me in my sleep?"

"I did no such thing." She rolled her eyes at her dramatics.

"You were going to kiss me." The brunette accused her with, what Emma thought was, unwarranted malice.

"I was not." Or at least she hadn't planned to. It hadn't been her intention but remember the feeling of being so close, she couldn't say with 100% certainty that she wouldn't have kissed her if Regina hadn't woken up. "Besides, what's the big deal? Have you seen Pretty Woman one too many times?"

"Don't be flippant with me. This is not a joking matter."

"Oh really, because I kind of think this entire thing is a joke."

"Ms. Swan-"

"No, what is your problem lady? It's okay for me to go down on you for an hour but heaven forbid I get anywhere near your precious lips." Her frustrations about their arrangement began to boil over. Emma convinced herself that Regina would eventually reconsider her position on the matter. However, based on the volatile reaction over her near lapse in restraint, Emma realized that she quite possibly would never budge on the issue. The blonde wouldn't admit it to herself, but she'd buried her hurt and confusion about the whole thing. Those feelings simmered under the surface for too long and now they were ready to erupt, like fiery lava spewing ferociously from below.

"Keep your voice down." She snapped then thought of a better idea, "Actually, you need to leave. Now."

"Not until I get some answers. We've been doing this," She gestured empathetically between the two of them, "for almost 2 months now."

"And your point being?" Her voice was chilled and hard, withdrawn and dense as ice.

Emma deflated slightly, feeling foolish for bringing it up at all. Looking back, this should have been the point were she said forget it and stormed out of the house with some dignity intact. She should have seen Regina's rigid, defensive posture, her eyes wild and dangerous like a dark jungle cat trapped into a corner. The younger woman had always been bad at backing out of a fight though, "My point is I thought things were good between us at least until this last week, which I never asked you to explain why you were avoiding me. I tried to be respectful and give you space. And then last night…"

She sniffed, acting uninterested, "What about last night?"

"Last night was more than sex. We connected Regina." Then her thoughts were flooded with images from their long, passionate session from the previous evening and she shivered. They had both been insatiable; testing each other's limits as they drove on to seek the next release. They pushed and pulled the pleasure out of the other, until they both collapsed in a blissful haze, chasing them into a deep, peaceful sleep.

But it had been more than just physical. Her entire life she'd been lost and adrift, from group homes to foster homes and back again. They called the places they sent her homes; she'd heard the phrase 'Welcome to your new home' more times than she could remember. It never felt like where she belonged though. Each was a place of uncertainty. Would the other kids steal from her here? Would there be food on the table? Would the father be a belligerent drunk or worse? As a result she never felt comfortable in one place to too long.

Last night had made her forget all of that. She felt anchored like she'd never experienced before, even when she was with Neal and she thought she'd at last found shelter from the storm but he eventually left her alone too. The pain of his abandonment had vanished as well. Dark eyes had been fixed unabashedly to her own eyes, as if they were each other's lifelines. Emma snapped out of her reflection at the low chuckle that came from the other woman's throat.

"We connected?" Her chuckle crescendos into sinister laughter, the sound made her stomach dip with unknown trepidation. "What? Are you going to take me to a candle-lit dinner at Granny's? You'll start leaving your leather jackets around my house?"

She was practically laughing hysterically. Emma felt the tips of her ears burn and she tried to interject, "I never said-"

"You didn't need to dear." She continued callously, each word stinging worst than the last. "The truth is you're just a good fuck, a nice lay with pretty blonde curls to pass the time. You think you have a place here? You're disposable, just as you've always been. When I'm finished with you, I'll leave you on the side of the road, like the woman who had the misfortune of pushing you out of her body."

Emma could only stare at her in shock, green eyes wide and mouth slightly agape. The brunette maintained her brutal indifference, her eyes glinting with malice and teeth bared in a razor grin, not caring the destructive effect of her little speech. The only indication she was worked up was the slight heaving of her chest as she panted lightly. Each well-placed insult cut her to the bone like a butcher taking his knife to a fatted calf, skillfully striking upon her insecurities. A single tear escaped for her eye before she could stop it. Her hand flew to her cheek to catch the drop and she wiped it gone in a flash, her voice came out as hard and dead as stone, "No wonder the whole town hates you. No wonder Henry wants to escape you. And one day everyone will be free from you except yourself. You'll always be stuck with yourself Regina. We're done here."

With that Emma fled from the room, barely seeing anything as she barreled through the bathroom throwing on her clothing that had been discarded on the white marble tile last night. She didn't care how much noise she was making or that it might alert Henry to her presence as she stomped down the hallway then down the curved staircase. As soon as her feet were crammed into her boots she was gone with a snapping slam of the front door.

The sheriff berated herself for revealing her feelings. It was already incredibly out of character for her to get involved with someone, let alone let herself get emotionally involved. She honestly hadn't let herself get into any sort of relationship beyond a professional one since Neal. Each time a man, or occasional woman, approached her with a flirty smile and gleam in their eye she immediately couldn't help but shut down. The pain of him leaving her echoed in her chest and the more sincere they seemed the more she would want to run from them. She couldn't trust that they had a genuine interest in her. Not when she had so readily believed Neal and his easy smile and charming wit and tender caring before the rug was yanked from underneath her. She determined that they wanted to use her for their own means then toss her aside so she used them first, got what she wanted, and then bailed. But then Regina happened.

Emma had gotten attached and then in a fit of stupidity she thought that the feeling could be mutual. But that too was an illusion. Regina never held any affection for her; it was all to keep her bed warm. She put herself on the line and got burned, badly. Her heart felt hollow and ashen as the fire of her anger died out and she was left was the charred remains, feeling weak and crumbling. She trudged down the stone walkway and the wind picked up. She wrapped her arms around herself to fend off the cold but it was little use. A sheet of gray clouds moved in, blotting out the golden sun, and giving the morning a new dreary, ominous hue.

As she stalked off, Emma focused on the cruel intentions of the words. In the heat of the moment, she could only see the malevolence not bothering to look past the surface of Regina's tirade. In reality, she was willfully blind to it. She couldn't bear to look and see that everything she said was true. It would hurt too much. And if she had looked and seen that the woman was lying, it would be just as painful. She wasn't made for happy endings, which was bad enough. But she knew that false hope would be that much worse.

/

Regina stood frozen next to her bed, staring at the spot that Emma had vacated with such speed, wrapped in her white sheet like a tragic, marble statue of a Greek goddess stepping off her pedestal and walking away. She heard the blonde thundering down the hall, the noise practically deafening in her otherwise silent home. She was glad Henry was such a deep sleeper; nothing could rouse him from sleep before his 7:30 alarm. With a muffled bang from the front door, the quiet resettled over the house. She felt more alone than when she was in Leopold's castle with a husband that had been forced upon her and ignorant, chatty stepdaughter who thought the world problems could be solved with rainbows and Turkish delights if you just believed, left her behind as they made yet another family trip across dewy meadows and through charmed forests to do whatever it was they enjoyed doing. Perhaps they had picnics amongst wild flowers or took teatime with a kindly countess in her airy, seaside estate. She could never really be sure since she had never been invited on one of their happy, little endeavors. But they always returned with cheeks rosy from the sun and in good spirits from their holiday.

The queen stayed in her solitude, sulking in her gloom. The king hiding away his prized wife from prying eyes and potential, more appropriate suitors for the young beauty. Her outlook bleak, knowing that her mother cast a spell keeping her trapped in the dark towers and knowing no one out there cared about her. No one was coming for her; most importantly Daniel wasn't coming for her. In the loneliness and in her grief, something malicious started to grow and her anger flourished in the darkness, nurtured by Rumplestiltskin and her mother, her plot of vengeance was born. Looking back it all happened so slowly and yet all at once at the same time.

She swayed on the spot, knees suddenly weak, but she managed to just keep her bearings, stumbling forward a little as if to pull from her unexpected trip down memory lane. She used the motion to move forward, directing her body towards the bathroom that she now knows is glaringly empty. Regina went to a small narrow closet where some towels were stored, along with extra beauty products and boxes of Henry's favorite Spiderman bandages. She by passed all of that though, instead reaching in the back, her hand wrapping around something cylindrical. The mayor pulled from the shadows a bottle of perfume, Emma Swan's perfume. She'd made a note of the brand the last time she'd been in her apartment and bought it that afternoon online before Henry had come home.

Of course after her conversation with him, she swore on all things unholy she would not give the sheriff the time of day from that point onward. So when the fragrance came in the mail mid-week, Regina hastily shoved it in the back of the cabinet with every intention of throwing it out later. Then the bothersome blonde came around anyways. Despite turning her down and ignoring her all week, Emma came to her and wanted her. And like that, her resolve slipped away as soon as strong arms wrapped around her waist, taking her out of her self-inflicted isolation and into the light.

The younger woman was not wrong about the connection they made last night. All of the denying and pretending Regina worked so hard to maintain dissolved, leaving her to face the truth, that she could possible fall in love with this woman. She thought that she had made it entirely impossible for her to have a chance at love again and yet Emma managed to worm her way into her heart, which was more terrifying than any curse she could conceive.

That was why she had to be so cruel and vile. Pushing her away was the only option if she were going to keep her precious curse in place. If the spell were broken, if Emma discovered the truth, the queen would truly lose everything. Regina didn't know though that in shattering Emma would shatter herself as well. She sprayed the perfume on her wrist, her nose instantly assaulted with the smell that was so like Emma. But it was missing whatever quality the young woman brought to the odor, and it fell flat.

She sank to the ground weighed down by her hopelessness.


	13. Mr Gold

Emma was tired and cold and frustrated. Since she had taken her police report with Mr. Gold that morning over his burglarized home, she had felt a step behind the conniving man in trying to find the culprit. Now pawnbroker stood by her cruiser casually as if he hadn't just savagely beaten Mr. French who was being loaded into the flashing ambulance. She marched up to him, "Well you managed to not break anything he needs. You're lucky Mr. Gold."

"You have a funny definition of lucky." He sniffed.

She crossed her arms over her chest and furrowed her brow. "You have a funny definition of justice. What did he really do?"

"He stole." Gold replied as if annoyed he needed to explain it to her. Emma didn't buy it though.

"That reaction was about more than taking a few trinkets. You said something about he hurt her. What happened to her? Who was that? What did he do?"

When she was met with stony silence, she pushed, "If someone need help, you need to tell me. It's my job to protect people."

He shrugged her off dismissively. "No. I'm sorry, Sheriff. I think you heard that wrong."

"You really don't want to cooperate?" She gave him one last chance.

"Look, we're done here." He turned to walk away but Emma grabbed his arm firmly.

"Actually, we're not." She held up her handcuffs. "You're under arrest."

A twisted little smile appeared on Mr. Gold's as she fastened the cuffs around his wrists. She had a feeling little would come from this but it was better than nothing after her long, hard day of chasing after him. She needed this little bit of control when every other aspect of her life felt out of control.

And she found satisfaction in knowing he would spend the night in a cold cell for aggravated assault while Emma would go home to a hot bath and a warm bed.

/

"Sheriff Swan, I'm letting you to spend time with Henry. You've got 30 minutes. Take him out for ice cream." Regina announced to the officer, shock clearly displayed on her face. She couldn't bear to look at her for too long though as her heart began to pound painfully in her chest. Instead she fixed her eyes on the man currently locked up behind bars, boring into him with a singular intensity. She proudly had her hand in placing him in the cell, seeing her old tutor in the degrading position did wonders for her ego. Were she still the evil queen, she would be preening about the room in full royal regalia with a condescending sneer. She knew the temper tantrum he would throw over his stupid teacup being taken from him.

"You want me to leave you alone with a prisoner?" Emma asked dubiously.

"29 and a half minutes." She spoke tightly, really needing the blonde to leave.

There was a heavy pause and she could practically feel the hard, emerald gaze pressing into her back. Her intuition of Ms. Swan had yet to dull even though it had been a month since she kicked the woman out of her bed. Months of fighting and clashing with one another regrettably did nothing to curb her desire for the woman. Now instead of tearing each other's clothes off, they took to trying to tear the other apart and currently she held the upper hand. After enlisting Sydney to trick the sheriff into making false accusations against her, Regina was easier able to exercise her authority over her, including keeping her away from Henry. The brunette was banking on this to help get Emma out of the room, offering her precious little time with her son.

Mr. Gold encouraged her with the remark, "Bring me back a cone."

Emma's resolve waned, as she guessed it would because ultimately the brunette knew she couldn't resist any opportunity to see Henry, the young boy ending up an unfortunate pawn in their game more often than not. Emma mumbled disapprovingly but grabbed her coat, "Fine, just this once. Come on."

The two scurried off like a pair of excited children. The mayor relaxed her shoulders marginally with the departure of the estranged sheriff. Even in the brief moment of being near the younger woman, it was difficult to hold herself together. After picking herself up from the cold bathroom tile that fateful morning, Regina determined to not let Emma slip passed her defenses again. She picked up her practiced mask of the evil queen or bitchy mayor, taking up her torch of revenge with renewed purpose of eradicating the willful blonde from her life. Still nothing rattled her quite like knowing her yearning for the blonde had yet to ebb.

"Well, you really wanted that little chat, didn't you?" Gold spoke bringing her back to the present.

She took a couple steps forward and airily replied. "Apparently, this is the only way I could do it."

"Please, _sit_." She glowered at him now as he hissed the command. His infuriating clause that rendered her helpless to his will, grated against her nerves not for the first time. The brunette marched across the office, rebelliously choosing to perch on the armchair of the couch. She crossed her arms primly over her chest, grouchily waiting for him to continue.

"Now when two people both want something the other has, a deal can always be struck. Do you have what I want?" He sounded like the imp he was in the Enchanted Forest, but she also detected his desperation to be reunited with his lost artifact. She considered toying with him a while longer, but she did have questions that she needed answered.

With an amused smirk, she hummed "Yes."

"So, you did put him up to it then." He blamed.

Regina's smile spread. "I merely suggested that strong men take what they need."

"Oh yeah, and you told him exactly what to take didn't you?" The man ground out bitterly.

"We used to know each other so well Mr. Gold." The mayor feigned offense. "Has it really come down to this?"

"It seems it has. But you know what I want. What is it you want?"

This was her chance to wring the truth out of him. Regina suspected that the pawnbroker knew more than he was letting on. "I want you to answer a few question. Starting with what's your name?"

"It's Mr. Gold." He replied automatically.

Her lip curled in annoyance and her glare would have lesser men shaking in their boots. "Your real name."

"Every moment I've spent on this earth, that's been my name." His phrasing was too precise, his voice trained to be too casual, and the mayor's suspicion heightened.

"But what about moments spent elsewhere?"

He acted perplexed. "What are you asking me?"

"I think you know. If you want me to return what's yours, tell me your name." She enunciated her words, forcing them out with barely restrained aggravation. Regina watched carefully as Mr. Gold's lip began to twitch, a chuckle rumbled in his throat, and he rasped out clumsily as if he lost the feeling of the name in his month.

"Rumplestiltskin." She knew it was coming but still her stomach dropped. Other questions popped into her mind, namely how did he manage to elude the memory altering component of the curse? And how damaging was this to her plot? The dignified brunette couldn't let him realize she was frazzled though and quickly plastered on a honeyed smile, her tone developing a syrupy quality.

"There now, was that so hard?"

"Excruciating." He grumbled.

"Well, now that we're being honest with each other, Rumple." His old nickname rolled off her tongue. "Let's talk a little about the security of my victory."

"Whatever do you mean?" Clenched fists signified her frustration that often flared when she had to converse with him. If it'd been possible she would have left his ass back in the Enchanted Forest where she would never have to look at his smarmy, crooked grin ever again.

"I mean, the blonde lummox that is trampling through my town."

"Ah, Miss Swan. And why would you be worrying about her?"

"You know why!" She lost her cool for a moment before she regained her composure, then started again evenly, "Exactly 28 years ago she was a newborn baby abandoned in a tree. Snow White and her idiot prince shoved their newborn baby in a wardrobe made from a magic tree exactly 28 years ago. She is the product of their true love and the only one capable of breaking the curse."

"She hasn't been doing a very good job of breaking it thus far." He nonchalantly replied with a disinterest shrug.

Regina snapped, "And I'd like to keep it that way. Now tell me how to stop her."

"Sorry dearie. There is no magic in this world so my premonitions are out of order these days." They both knew it wasn't entirely true that magic didn't exist in this world. The queen hoarded her little charms and totems and potions from the old realm and having seen Mr. Gold's shop it had to be full of magic items he brought over as well. But she didn't press him, not wanted to reveal her collection.

"Surely you saw something before we came over here. I know you; you'd never come into a situation totally blind." She reminded him once again of their shared history, "If you don't tell me what I want, you won't get what you want."

He gritted his teeth briefly before his smooth demeanor settled back over him. It was a battle of wills and both of them were well versed in these underhand discussions, tempers flaring to the surface then quickly covered with cool indifference or inappropriate amusement.

He tilted his head at a jaunty angle, grinning impishly at her, "You should know better than anyone how curses are broken. It wouldn't be the first time a Charming found true loves kiss and foiled your schemes."

Regina felt her anger swell at his mocking tone. "I know _how_. I want to know _who_. I can't have another unfortunate incident like Graham…"

"Ah yes, it was unfortunate, as you say, the sheriff's untimely demise. Why did you dispose of your henchman?" He sneered. She couldn't tell if he knew she actually had the wolf man stashed in her pseudo-dungeon in the psych ward of the hospital but she preferred the secret remained hers. The more information she had over Gold, gave her more bargaining she had against him. She had to give him something to hopefully get him to reveal something useful to her.

Biting the bullet, she began coyly. "Ms. Swan used those magic lips and Sheriff Humbert recalled certain aspects of his life that I couldn't have him sharing with the impressionable town folk. I wouldn't want to create any hysteria."

"Interesting." She could see the wheels in his head turning like a well-oiled machine, which was never a good thing. She grew tired of the conversation and realized he may need a little more motivation. She reached in her bag, plucking the chipped teacup from the bottom. As soon as the delicate, white porcelain was in his line of sight, Rumplestiltskin became serious, his eyes trained on the quaint trinket.

Regina sighed, hold the handle delicately and dangling it just out of his grasp, "I just don't think you've earned this. I think I'll keep it awhile longer and we can have this conversation later; after you've had some time to think."

"Wait!" He growled, "Wait… I don't know who the Savior's true love is… but I do know you need to be careful as well."

Her eyes narrowed, "What do you mean?"

"Emma Swan maybe be the Savior but she isn't the only one who can break the curse. Snow White and her prince can kiss until their lips bleed but it wouldn't do a thing. It has to be someone who isn't under the spell, and seeing as you are the caster this includes you."

She regarded him for a moment before replying lightly, "I made sure that it wouldn't be a problem."

Images from her past resurfaced in flashes; her misery and hopelessness trapped in her marriage; an odd fairy called Tinkerbelle saving her life from a careless, or perhaps not so careless, fall; the two of them conspiring with pixie dust and finding her soul mate in a dark tavern. But the kind-hearted fairy had come too late to save Regina from herself, dark bitterness already curled around her heart and she pushed the woman away, choosing to forget all about the man with the lion tattoo and focusing on her hatred. It was a time in her life she rarely reflected on except when came time to shape her curse she made sure to leave her supposed true love in the Enchanted Forest, where he could not undo her work. In theory, she should be able to kiss the younger woman with no threat, or that was what she told herself over and over. Still she couldn't be put at ease as an inexplicable feeling continuing to swirl under her breastbone, which always had held her back from even the simplest kiss.

"If you say so." Rumple was oblivious to her wandering mind, his focus solely on the fragile china hanging precariously in her fingertips. "I told you all that I know, now give me what I want."

"Such hostility." She gave a cat-like grin, pleased at his growing distress.

"Oh, yeah."

"Over this?" Finally, she swung the cup into his range, acting as though it might fall to shatter against the hard tile at any moment. His hand shot out as far as it could from behind the bars his fingers wrapping securely around it and pulling it to his chest. "Such a sentimental little keepsake."

"Thank you, your Majesty." The man took a moment to be relieved then turned his sharp eyes venomously towards her. He recited Regina's words back to her, "So now that we're being honest with each other, let's remember how things used to be, shall we? And don't let these bars fool you dear. I'm the one with the power around here. I'm going to be out of here in no time and nothing between us will change."

Not one to be intimidated, the queen leaned in close to the bars so he could see the fury and power radiating from her being. She was a force of nature, a towering tsunami bearing down on the little man, her voice was low and menacing like the rumble of the devastating wave as she declared, "We shall see."

The faintest hint of fear flickered across Mr. Gold's face. But his brief moment of uncertainty was enough to thrill her as she smirked in victory then sauntered off to rightfully collect her son.


	14. Sundae Sunday

"Slow down." Emma laughed at Henry over the heaping, hot fudge sundae that Ruby had just dropped off for them to share. His spoon darted quickly from the bowl to his mouth, his cheeks stuffed with three spoonfuls ice cream before she could get one.

"If I slow down, you'll eat it all." He replied matter-of-factly after a big, happy gulp.

"Hey!" She acted offended despite there being a kernel of truth to his statement. She playfully added with a jab of her spoon at him, "You've been hanging around your mother too much."

His mischievous grin faded at this and his eyes became fixed on their dessert, watching his spoon half-heartedly scrape at a scoop of vanilla. Emma's smile faltered as well, the forced separation from one another suddenly weighed on them heavily. From her fall out with Regina, this was perhaps the worst consequence. She'd had her heart crushed before, but pain was something she became accustom to living with. However, this hurt Henry too and that she found was something she couldn't live with.

"Hey," Her voice was so soft and buttery she was surprised it came from her mouth. Henry's doleful brown eyes looked up at her curiously and she offered him a smile though sadness tugged at the corners. "I know things aren't… good right now. But we just have to be patient and let the dust settle. Things will get better again."

Normally she would never say anything so positive. She wanted to rant and rave that bad things always happened and life is full of hard knocks so get used to it kid. But with Henry, the little boy who believed everything so ardently, she had to try and assuage the dishearten expression on his face, even if it meant telling him something she didn't quite believe herself.

"I guess." He sighed then furrowed his brow together and scrunched up his nose in the way he did when he was being very pensive. "Just… Emma, what happened with my mom? Did you guys fight? I thought you were being friends."

Emma leaned back in her seat, defensive walls slammed back up, like the heavy metal door of the social services van that she climbed in and out of so many times. The dull roar of the door rolling in its grooves and then the definitive clunk of it latching solidly in place always made her feel safe and guarded, at least when she was leaving a home. For the next hour or so she would be tucked away from the unknown with a caseworker who might buy her sympathy chicken nuggets and a milkshake. When she felt like she needed protected, her mind always summoned the sound as if to fortify her. Henry was still looking at her expectantly.

Now she sighed, "I don't know kid. Sometimes things just don't work out the way you want them to."

"But you'd made so much progress." He whined lightly. "Maybe if you just-"

"No, this is something that can't be fixed." Emma intoned firmly. Her wounds were still too fresh and vivid to even think about making nice with Regina. Her words however caused Henry to deflate even more, sinking into his puffy winter coat like a turtle receding into his shell. The blonde mentally kicked herself. Being a mother was hard. That was why she barely was one beyond title alone, a biological mother.

The term biological mother was thrown around a lot where she grew up. For some kids it was the ideal they clung to regardless of the reality of the situation; my real mom is coming back for me after rehab; my birth mother only has 8 more months in jail then she's coming for me. But for Emma she never had a concept of the woman who birthed her was. There wasn't a single fond memory for her to grasp onto or wish for in regards to this stranger. And so her biological parents were mysterious figures that she grew to resent. She thought this is how her son would come to think of her, but here he was wanting her to be so much more than a mother and she couldn't help wanting to try and rise to his expectation, even the ludicrous notion that she was some magical savior.

"Henry, listen, you remember when we talked a while back about making everyone happy, even your mom?"

"Yeah…"

"Well, it's a two way street. The other person has to want the happiness in return. And I don't think your mom wants my help, in fact she made it very clear."

"You also said that when my mom is scared she seems angry. Maybe she's just scared of the curse breaking."

The kid was too smart for his own good though his conclusion about evil spells was probably off base. She assumed Regina harbored fears similar to her own, wanting to keep her at a distance to protect herself from getting burned. The only difference being Emma had been stupid enough to ignore the defensive feeling that had served her so well in the past. "I did say that, and maybe so, but I can only tell her the truth and if she doesn't accept that then I've got to back off. It's not fair to her or me."

"What did you tell her? What made her so upset?"

"It doesn't matter now, okay?" Emma shook her head unwilling to bring their conversation to the forefront of her mind. "Sometimes the only thing we can do is to pick up the pieces and move on."

"Okay." He agreed glumly then added after a moment because he was never one to be deterred for long, "We'll just have to come up with a different plan for Operation Cobra."

"And we will. But for now," She looked at her wristwatch only to remember that the battery died two weeks ago. It didn't matter anyways as she crossed her eyes at Henry and put on a mocking stern voice, "We only have 13 minutes and 48 seconds left. Let's eat some ice cream."

He giggled at her ridiculous impression and she grinned. "And you can tell me about your new girlfriend."

"I don't have a girlfriend." Henry looked truly horrified at the prospect.

Emma laughed quickly letting him off the hook. "Just checking. Let's keep it that way until your… 35."

"Fine by me." He grumbled at her unaware of what he was promising. He dug back into their melting sundae and Emma follow suite.

"Tell me about school." Emma prompted, knowing the boy would easily fill the space between them with words. Henry began chattering about his day in school in between bites, leaving her content to listen, only needing to intermittently give him some positive affirmation that he still held her attention. He truly was an amazing kid; smart and caring and so resilient.

Emma wished that his character was a reflection of her but she knew better. He was Regina's son whether he accepted it or not. He couldn't see how his eyes shone with the same bright intellect of the woman who raised him and how he was already developing her quicksilver didn't know that it was Regina who taught him to stand back up after taking a hit and ready for round two. He didn't know that she cared about him with the same intensity that he cared about his ideals of happy endings. He didn't know that he was her happy ending.

Henry started to explain the science experiment Mary Margaret had arranged for them, involving layering liquids with very densities but she only half listened now. Through the wide, front window of Granny's a figure walking down the sidewalk caught her attention. It was the shape of a person she would know anywhere, as if it had always ingrained in her memory. Regina was wrapped in her black coat like usual but there was something different about her outline. The brunette lacked her usual confident strut that she normally paraded down the street with. Instead she seemed withdrawn and tired, her hands burrowed deep in her pockets and shoulders hunched against the wind that howled down the main road today. She moved like she was slowly floating, as if a ghost, her dark garb like a shroud rather than a powerful presence.

Regina disappeared behind the blinds of the front door for a moment and Emma let the thought cross her mind that maybe this separation was more difficult for Regina than she had thought. She heard Henry saying, "Corn syrup was the heaviest. But not everybody got some because Ms. Blanchard caught Jason drinking it from the bottle. He got a stomach ache…"

The door chimed as it opened, the blinds rustled scandalized at being disturbed. Regina appeared in the entryway but didn't come inside, remaining silhouetted by the sunlight behind her, surprisingly shadowed despite the ambient lightness of the restaurant. In the brief time Regina was obscured from view, her fragile appearance had vanished and the steeled, square-shouldered mayor called to her son in her commanding tone, "Henry it's time to leave."

His head whipped around to observe his mother waiting expectantly for him. He turned back to Emma, imploring her to do something with a little pout. But she could only give him her best imitation of a reassuring smile. "I'll see you next time kid."

He nodded glumly and resigned, getting up to trudge over to his mom. Emma stared blatantly at Regina who pointedly ignored her, watching her son until Henry was passed the threshold and onto the sidewalk. She gave the blonde a fleeting glance. Emma hoped to see some indication of emotion but her enigmatic eyes gave away nothing.

The sheriff sighed deeply as the door swung back shut and the pair was gone. It didn't matter anymore how Regina felt about anything because they were done for good. Now she was no more than a shadow in the doorway.

"You okay Em?" Ruby suddenly appeared with a sympathetic tilt to her long frame.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Her lips pulled back in mimicry of a smile.

"Speaking as someone who observes the full range of human emotion on a daily basis, people get seriously worked up when the meatloaf runs out, I would not put you in the fine category." Ruby pressed.

"The meatloaf is really good." Emma laughed then turned more serious. "Regina isn't letting me see Henry right now. I thought we had reached a good place, that at least we were tolerating each other but I was wrong. I was wrong about all of it."

"Regina has been the mayor as long as anyone can remember." The waitress unwittingly parroted the phrase Emma heard over and over since she'd arrived in town. Everything had been going on for as long as anyone could remember, which she supposed was just a small town quirk initially but it was bordering on ridiculous now. "And you're the only person I've known that can go toe to toe with her. I think you may have taken some hits but you'll be back in the fight soon."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence." She said though not entirely convinced. "But I don't fight anything right now."

"After going up against Regina, I think you could take on a dragon and win." The women shared in laughter and Emma found herself grateful for her friend. Mary Margret of course was warm and wonderful. She opened her home to Emma and felt like family she never had but could also be a little too serious and passive sometimes, contented or discontented to just let her little humdrum life happen to her. Ruby on the other hand was a little reckless, like being pent up in the tiny town was driving her wild. And she reminded her to laugh even when there wasn't much reason to. The woman lightly slapped her shoulder. "Hey come by tonight after we close up. I could use the company and I know where Granny keeps her moonshine. It'll take the hair off a werewolf's back."

"Sounds like fun." Emma said easily. "I'm in."

/

Thanks for reading! Would love to see more reviews!


	15. A Cold Night

Regina drove away from the hospital after another late night trip to the psych ward. Her brief entanglement with Rumplestiltskin that afternoon had left her on edge. She paced the pale blue lit and navy shaded rooms of her home long after Henry had gone to bed. Unable to settle herself, the mayor eventually dipped into the night and descended into the bowels of the hospital to check in on her bargaining chip. After seeing Mr. Gold's reaction to his pilfered teacup, she knew that the girl locked in one of the padded cells still held a large part of his shriveled black heart; a weakness she was keen to take advantage of.

Belle, his once-upon-a-time true love, had looked at her through a wave of auburn hair hanging in her face, her eyes glassy and unfocused from the drugs they kept her sedated with. The curse hadn't been kind to her as she had violent fits of throwing herself into walls or biting orderlies. Her visit with the classic now deranged beauty wasn't long. The girl had no idea who she was cursed or not so she didn't make for a great conversationalist. Then Graham had been in a restless sleep and her heart wasn't really in it to goad him tonight.

She departed from the superfluous errand disappointed and with no more peace of mind than before. Her sleek Mercedes rounded a corner and pulled onto the main road. Regina noticed the lights still glowing from Granny's diner as she came upon building, which was odd considering the hour. With prickling curiosity she plied the breaks so she could look into the tall front windows that gave her a clear view of the eatery; the scene inside sent ice fracturing her veins.

Half the chairs were flipped upside down on the tables and a bucket and rag sat abandoned at the end of the breakfast counter as if someone had stopped cleaning the restaurant half way through. A slender woman with yellow curls spilling down her back that she would recognize anywhere sat at the counter with Ruby standing across from her. From the waitress's animated smile it appeared they were laughing like over-excited schoolgirls over something. Ruby playfully pushed Emma's shoulder and Regina was now blatantly stopped in the road with her lips pinched in disgust at what she was seeing. The women's postures where inclined toward each other as if sharing a secret though there was no one around to over hear. Spirals of cold envy frostily coated around her insides, her resolve and distain hardening like a frozen lake in the dead of winter.

The lanky brunette came from behind the counter and plopped heavily down next to Emma who turned to face her. Now Regina could see the sheriff's face, her cheeks pleasantly pink and grin whiskey-sly, and she noticed the unmarked bottle of liquor between them. Emma laughed harder and leaned in to rest her head on Ruby's shoulder in her fit of hysterics. The mayor's grip on the steering wheel was painfully tight to stop herself from charging into the diner, to yank Ruby's hand away from where it rested against golden hair. Eventually their enthusiastic conversation became more subdued though dragging on longer than Regina cared for. Finally the waitress began cleaning again and Emma started to help with finishing to put the chairs up for the night. Without much thought, the mayor parked her car along the street then crossing it to a nearby alley she knew Emma would have to pass on her way home.

She didn't have to wait much longer for Emma and Ruby to tumble out onto the sidewalk, a tangle of long limbs and girlish giggles. Still too far away to hear properly, she watched them murmur their goodbyes. Ruby concluded the evening with an exuberant kiss to her friend's cheek and then skipping off to the back of the building where she and Granny lived. The brunette hiding in the shadows glowered.

Emma waved and wandered away with a firm grin still in place, watching her boots shuffling clumsily on the concrete below them. Regina stepped out of the alley, striding towards the other woman before she noticed her. Her voice as cold as the air as she spoke, "Ms. Swan."

Green eyes shot up in surprise, "Jesus Regina, what the hell?"

"You're out late." Regina ignored her incredulousness and glared at the faint smear of red lipstick Ruby left on her cheek.

"So are you Madam Mayor." Emma pointed out, her tongue a little thick and slow with drink. "Where's Henry?"

"My son is none of your concern." She said viciously. "Especially when your extracurricular activities involve getting drunk with the town harlot."

"Stalk much Regina? And Ruby isn't the town harlot."

"Oh? Would that be you now?"

Emma furrowed her brow and she could see the anger brewing in her chest. She inhaled deeply and the Evil Queen gleefully prepared for a battle. But suddenly Emma deflated and gaze becoming more inquisitive, "Are you jealous?"

"Don't be ridiculous." She scoffed, but even as she denied it her words felt false, too forced, and she knew Emma would see through it with her uncanny ability to know the truth.

The blonde smiled deviously. "Because it seems like you're jealous of Ruby."

"Why would I be jealous of that second rate waitress?"

"You tell me Regina. You're the one that told me I'm a nice lay with pretty blonde curls. Surely you're not the only one who would think so." Emma dared to say, the alcohol emboldening her words. Regina clenched her jaw unable to speak in her rage. The images of the blonde and her companion draped over each other in the restaurant gave way to her imagination conjuring inappropriate scenes of them in a much more intimate embrace. The icy feeling in her stomach turned to boiling ire.

She realized suddenly that the younger woman had been hedging closer to her and now was enticingly within arms reach. Her vibrant eyes trailed over Regina with the drowsy lust of someone who was intoxicated. She continued, her voice dripped like sweet honey, "You don't need to be jealous. I'm right here."

Her hands twitched at the thought of touching Emma once again, the desire burning deep. She could shove the other woman into the alley and touch where Ruby had moments ago, reclaiming the territory as her own. But Emma wouldn't be propositioning her if not for the liquor swimming in her blood and Regina couldn't afford any more moments of weakness, feeling as though she was even less capable of making informed decisions than Ms. Swan.

So she jammed her hands into her coat pockets and with as much conviction as she could summon said, "I don't care."

With that she side stepped the woman and trudged back towards her car without a backward glance; internally vowing to find a way to spread her misery.


	16. Heart in a Box

Ever since Kathryn Nolan's car turned up abandoned on the side of the road, Emma had felt dread steadily mounting as the circumstances proceeded to get worse and worse. First with her suspicions circled cautiously around David who seemed genuinely distraught and confused by his estranged wife's disappearance in direct contrast to the evidence she'd discovered. It of course had been hypothetical until Ruby had unearthed a damned box with a real heart inside.

Then the relief of discovering finger prints on the interior of the chest was short lived when the results came back as the last person she'd ever want to suspect: Mary Margaret. She ran the comparison five times before working up the courage to go find the woman and bring her to the station. The sheriff strived to keep her professionalism as she snapped her mug shot but it was difficult when her roommate was looking at her with wounded eyes and questioning her motives. For now Emma just had to hope that Mary Margaret knew she had the best intentions as she lead her to an interrogation room.

They entered the dark figure already seated at the table turned to them. "Hello Ms. Blanchard."

The schoolteacher balked at the sight of Mayor Mills primly seated at the small table. She looked to Emma. "What is she doing here?

"She asked to be here as a third party to make sure I stay impartial." Emma explained. "It can only help you."

Her suspect took the seat across from Regina and Emma settled in next to her, trying to ignore the way her skin tingled with the other woman near. Mary Margaret proclaimed. "I have nothing to hide. Ask me anything."

With an unimpressed sideways glance from the older woman, Emma started the tape recorder. "The heart was found buried near the old toll bridge. It had been cut out by what appears to be a hunting knife. Have you ever been to that bridge before?"

"Yes. Many times." Tears already glistened in Mary Margaret's eyes. "It's where David and I like to meet."

"Mr. Nolan." Emma sought official confirmation.

"Yes." Came the tense reply.

The sheriff stood to retrieve something from the evidence locker along the wall behind her. "And you met there for what purpose?"

"We were having an affair. I'm not proud of what happened and I'm sorry. But that doesn't change the fact that I did not kill Kathryn." She spoke with soft conviction, seemingly only to Regina who had remained surprisingly quiet so far. Emma presented the unidentified box to the room.

"Have you ever seen this before?"

She stared for a second like she couldn't understand how the object came to be there. "Yes, it's my jewelry box."

"That's what we found the heart in…" Emma's stomach flipped as Mary Margaret's voice started to develop the shrill note of panic.

"Don't you see what's happening here? Someone stole that box and put the heart in it. I didn't have anything to do with it. I'm innocent."

"Ms. Blanchard." Regina caught a trembling hand, her tone low and soothing. "It's okay. I know what you're going through. I know what it's like to lose someone you love, to be publically humiliated. It put me in a very dark place, changed me. I can only imagine what losing David Nolan did to you."

Mary Margaret ripped her hand away, "I haven't changed. I'm still the same person I've always been, a good person. I did not do this."

Emma had been intensely observing Regina, the truth so breathtakingly evident as she talked about experiencing loss and being in the dark, a feeling Emma knew herself. There was still so much mystery about the woman she hadn't managed to unravel. A fresh pang of hurt echoed in her chest knowing she would never be able to know the story behind her. But she couldn't be concerned about that now, needing to remind Regina of her place in this interview. She asked flatly. "Can I speak to you in the hallway please?"

"I told you to leave the questioning to me." Emma said tartly.

Regina took a half step forward when there were already too close to begin with. "How do you know she didn't do it? If that box had been stolen from her as she claims, don't you think there would be signs of a break in? You're her roommate. Tell me; has there been a break in?"

Regina took her silence as defeat. "She is a woman who's had her heart broken and _that_ \- can make you do unspeakable things."

/

She really had no business being the town sheriff. Emma still didn't know all the protocol and rules involved in the position, mostly she was just going off the brief months she had observed Graham and some Law and Order reruns if she were being honest. But she had her intuition and experience with the law, albeit the blonde had been evading the law but that hardly mattered. That expertise was helping her now more than anything as she combed through her and Mary Margaret's apartment for signs of forced entry. She began by canvassing the building thinking how she would break in. The fire escape would have been the easiest route but upon examining the area she found nothing incriminating. Not even an errant shoes print that wasn't supposed to be there. Inside the apartment, she ran nimble fingers over edge of the door feeling for splintered wood. She looked for scratches around the keyhole to see the lock had been picked. As she began checking one of the windows a faint noise, someone was shuffling into the space, causing her to whip around.

"Henry?" Surprised to see the boy standing there, "What are you doing here?"

"You have to help Ms. Blanchard. She's innocent." He declared urgently, unsurprisingly already hearing the news of her arrest. Word spread like wild fire through town as it was. Taking the homely fifth grade teacher into custody for the murder of the wife of the man who she was having an affair with probably spontaneously combusted across town.

"I know Henry."

"Then why did you arrest her?"

"The evidence so far had been overwhelming. I can't ignore it or it will seem like favoritism." Her jewelry box buried at the toll bridge might as well have been a signed confession.

He chirped eagerly, "I want to help too."

She sighed, "It's nice that you're concerned about your teacher but you need to go home."

She put on her best serious-business expression, her lips drawing into a thin hard line and placing her hands squarely on her hips. Regina would really have her head if she found out she allowed her 10-year-old son to aid in a murder investigation. However, her intimidation tactics had little effect on him.

"Come on. What kind of trouble can I get to into your apartment?" He gave her his best charming grin, which immediately melted her resolve. He could be a manipulative little punk when he wanted to be. Plus, Regina still limited her contact with him to essentially nothing and she could bring herself to turn him away. She ruefully returned the smile.

"Alright, but just stay out of the way." Emma ruffled his hair as she moved to the window above Mary Margret's bed. She quickly found the glass was disappointingly whole and the latch firmly locked with no suggestion of tampering.

"What are you looking for anyways?"

"Broken glass, forced locks, anything that would indicate someone breaking in." She huffed in defeat having come up empty handed.

"So you think she is being framed?"

"It has to be the only explanation. The only problem is I don't know who would have motive to do that." She replied distractedly then paused, the photographs her roommate kept on her dresser catching her attention. Picking up the one in a solid, brown frame, the picture showed the humble, kind woman with a few of her students, Henry included. They were all holding up some sort of mobile that had been a class project that really seemed to be some junk on strings to Emma, but the kids were so pleased with the work, showcasing their wide, crooked smiles.

"The Evil Queen hates Snow White." Her eyes snapped up to him and she gave him an incredulous look.

"Your mom?"

"It's true." He shrugged. "You asked for a motive."

"Sorry kid, I don't think 'The Evil Queen hates Snow White' will hold up in court. We need actual proof." She said not bothering to point out how outlandish it would be for his own mother to be involved in the set up. Emma glanced back down at the picture. The kids were so proud of themselves but no one looked as proud or happy as Mary Margaret did. The blonde simply could not believe that this was the type of person to murder someone not matter what Regina said.

Settling the photo back in its place, the frustrated sheriff flopped back onto the soft, worn quilt of her roommate's bed, her mind unwillingly wandering to thoughts of the beautiful mayor. They still purposefully evaded each other, and when they did cross paths it inevitably ended in a simmering argument or barely veiled threats. Like when they had a tense discussion at the station while she interview Mary Margaret. She was surprised Mayor Mills had insisted on being present during the questioning, seeing as it violated the terms of their avoid-each-other-at-all-cost arrangement. The demanding woman forced her way into the interrogation room, proclaiming she was a non-biased three party observer. Emma didn't have a lot of leverage to say no but she establish the condition that she was to do all the questioning.

While the mayor had been surprisingly docile during most the the interview, she still managed to coyly sneak in her own version of events that heavily implied the schoolteachers guilt. Mary Margaret managed to maintain her innocence while Emma dragged the woman out to lecture her on who was in charge, which she flat out ignored. There was something she had said thought that still resonated in Emma's head. _She's a woman who's had her broken heart, and that can make you do unspeakable things._

 _And what broke your heart so badly?_ The question had been on the tip of her tongue but she refrained. It would not be wise to provoke her temper under the tenuous situation. She needed to be focusing on finding the real perpetrator of the crime, if a crime had even taken place as she was still waiting on the forensics of the heart. For all she knew, and desperately hoped, it was and elaborate prank and Kathryn was safely and obliviously starting a new life in Boston. So running the investigation took top priority and she was still trying to get back in good graces to see Henry more. As much as she wanted to draw out Regina and get her into a fight, possibly get some real answers from her for once, Emma instead excused herself. Apologetically escorting her roommate to the holding cells and leaving her there to hunt for clues.

Searching for more clues was primarily her goal, but she had also needed to get out of Regina's presence and collect herself. The blonde hated it but she missed the fiery woman, the passion of their encounters and more than that, the feeling of belonging she had come to associate with her. In the dark hours of the night, she would lie awake in bed, feeling the painful pull in her chest, like a rope strung too tight and the cord was fraying, threatening to snap completely. While the brunette had been infuriatingly unfettered by their interaction, Emma was left feeling even more hopeless, feeling like she was suspended from a cliff not knowing when the line would break.

In the midst of her thoughts, Emma heard the familiar sound of the heat kicking on but it was accompanied by a strange muffled rattling sound. She sat up suddenly, glancing over at Henry in confusion as if he were the source of the sound. The boy was standing still and silent however, watching her perplexed. The sheriff quickly honed in on the origin of the noise, which was coming from the vent just at the foot of the bed. She noticed quickly that the screws were loose, having been haphazardly wound in. A couple of ease turns and the slatted, metal covering easily pulled off. Her hand disappeared down the shaft, coming into contact with a soft fabric, but she could feel it concealed a hard, solid object.

She lifting it from the hiding place, Emma saw the cloth was a floral handkerchief, not unlike one Mary Margaret may own but she'd never seen it before. Dread already filled her stomach, her fingers carefully pushing back the fabric until a large knife was revealed. It gleamed dangerously in her hands as she stared at it in shock. Things had suddenly become much worse.


	17. Incendiary

Emma sat in her office with only the dim, orange glow of a lamp doing its best at keeping the darkness at bay as the hours crept later and later. She couldn't bring herself to go back to the apartment that she knew would be glaringly empty, its usual occupant instead slumbering in a jail cell.

Ms. Blanchard at the toll bridge with the hunting knife. It was like a warped game of Clue that she had no interest in playing. But someone had selected those cards and now it was up to her to prove the deck had been stacked. The last 24 hours had been surreal for Emma, having been forced to bring Mary Margret to the sheriff's station, taking her mug shots, inking her fingers, and questioning the gentle schoolteacher for murder of all things. The woman owned more cardigans than anyone she knew, and, if she had long hair, she was certain blue birds would braid it for her in the morning. She didn't seem capable of littering let alone killing someone.

Resting her elbows on her desk, the sheriff rubbed her eyes that felt tired and sandy from forcing herself to stay awake. After discovering the knife and the initial alarm wore off, Emma immediately sent Henry away. This time he listened to her with no hesitation, hearing the gravity in her voice and the slight tremor of fear that came through despite her effort to conceal it. Once alone, she allowed herself to pace around the apartment for sometime, unleashing all the nerves and anxiety that poured through her. The implications of finding the potential murder weapon could be devastating for her quest to show Mary Margaret's innocence and in her mind was incredibly incriminating. She let all the worst case scenarios run through her head until she gathered herself to face the incarcerated woman.

She was the cool, levelheaded sheriff when she calmly confronted her about the knife, offering no judgment or accusations. Mary Margaret was more shocked and dismayed than she had been, claiming she didn't even know where the vent in her room was. Emma carefully gauged her reaction, looking for any hint of deceit in her mannerisms. But she only found truth in what she was saying and she was temporarily filled with relief that her friend remained innocent. Until she remembered the predicament they were in. She still had no leads on who would want to harm Kathryn or who would want to frame the beloved schoolteacher. Unfortunately her lack of progress prompted the wrongfully jailed woman to hire a lawyer, who was even more unfortunately none other than Mr. Gold. The pawnbroker weaseled his way into the mix as he showed up at the sheriff's station, a little too conveniently in Emma's opinion.

The blonde implored Mary Margaret to hold out a little longer and give her more time to solve everything but she took the unscrupulous man's counsel over her own. She tried to understand her decision, after all her experience as sheriff thus far had primarily been issuing disorderly conduct fines and tracking down lost pets, nothing to the caliber of a murder investigation. And for most of her life people would hardly say she was reliable, often taking flight to a different city when the mood struck her and leaving little notice. Could you really trust someone with no roots? But secretly she was a disappointed and hurt. It felt as though her friend didn't believe in her enough to handle it. Yet she was the only one to refuse casting the net of blame over her despite the suspicious circumstances while her life long friends and acquaintances seemed quick to accept her guilt. Even David, the supposed love of her life, doubted her innocence.

"I've never seen you at work so late Sheriff Swan. What's the occasion?" The smooth timber of Regina's voice startled her from her thoughts. Her eyes flew open, vision momentarily blurred as the image of the brunette leaning against her doorframe came into view.

"What are you doing here?" Emma stared dumbly at her for a moment. She looked perfect as usual, the polished veneer of Storybrooke mayor in her black trench coat over the surely impeccable dress in full affect.

"I was working late and notice the station was open. I thought maybe you'd forgotten to lock up but here you are." It would be nearly impossible that she could notice an unlocked door from across the street and Emma knew the building appeared dark and closed down for the night, the overhead lights went out on a timer. Regina would have had to walk up to the door and physically check it to have realized the door was open. She wouldn't put it passed the older woman to try and catch her in a trivial mistake; the most valuable thing in the office was a computer from 1984 so if someone wanted to steal it she would be glad to be rid of it. Emma easily saw through the lie.

Instead of pointing this out she instead blurted, "Keep your voice down. Mary Margaret is sleeping."

She arched a condescending brow at her, "I hear only the guilty can sleep in prison."

"Just come in and shut the door." Emma rolled her eyes. Regina surprisingly followed her instructions, unintentionally giving her another clue to her presence. Simple observations revealed the mayor had freshly applied makeup and combed her hair, opposed to Emma who had dark circles emerging under her eyes and hair had become mussed and tangles since its morning brushing. She glanced down at her blouse to ensure that there were no lingering crumbs from the meager dinner of cheese crackers she'd eaten earlier.

"Now that I'm here, any progress in the case? Any new evidence come to light?" She walked forward with a dangerous flare in her gaze that Emma recognized, predatory and promising. No, this was not a person coming home from the long day at the office ready to collapse into bed, the way the blonde felt like doing. She looked prepared to fall into bed in a completely different way.

"I'm following on all leads." She replied tersely, resolving not to play the mouse in her cat-and-mouse game.

"And you're documenting everything? Processing the evidence?"

The blonde stood, the legs of her chair scraping noisily against the linoleum, and walked around to the other side of her desk so she was on a more level playing field, feeling slightly trapped behind the small table, "I'm making sure I have all my facts straight."

"Procedure states-"

"Screw your procedure." She snapped. A strained moment of silence stretched out precariously. Both women bristling and thinking about tearing into a real fight. Ultimately Emma sighed and rubbed her brow, "I'm just making sure everything is as it seems."

"If it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck, then it's most likely a duck." Regina backed down as well, adopting a bored tone. "Things are rarely not as they seem."

"So if it looks like a bitch and sounds like a bitch…"

The brunette chuckled at her implication, "Despite our differences Ms. Swan, I've always admired your spirit."

Emma crossed her arms and leaned back against her desk, "Among other assets you've admired?"

A noncommittal hum was her only answer. But mischievous eyes flitted over her body appreciatively and a restless tongue flicked over her bottom lip in anticipation. Emma didn't notice though, her attention focused on mentally undressing the silhouette in front of her. The blonde could feel herself being drawn in, like there was a gravitational pull between them. It was part of the reason she so carefully avoided the woman, because once they fell into each other's orbit it was nearly impossible to escape. They circled closer and closer until finally they collided, wrecking each other with ardent hands and wicked words. Then she remembered herself, remembered how poorly Regina treated her, and tried valiantly to resist. But already her voice of reason was quickly being drowned out by her desire.

"Isn't it time for you to get home? I'm sure you're tired." Her tone came out raspier than she wanted which she was sure did not go unnoticed by the mayor, her lip ticking up in that irritatingly amused way.

"Not as tired as you would think." Regina slinked closer.

"Well I'm sure you want to get to Henry."

"He's been asleep for hours and Ms. Lucas will sit for him as long as I need." She was standing right in front of her now, her expensive perfume pulling her further under Regina's spell.

"This isn't happening." But she sounded breathy and unconvincing.

"And what would not be happening?" Regina tilted forward, placing her hands on the desk on either side of the younger woman's hips. Another beat filled with their accelerating breathing. "Tell me to leave and I will."

It was too late though, her resolve crumbling to rubble around her. Emma stayed silent, not unwilling to admit she wanted the other woman desperately and unable to walk away the way Regina had been able to on the desolate street a couple weeks ago leaving her to stagger home with her wanton. The brunette gathered her own conclusion from her lack of response with a superior smirk, "I'll take that as a yes."

She leaned in the rest of the way, her lips soft and delicate against her jaw. It was sweet, too sweet. Anger flared in Emma's chest suddenly pushing her away, which was met with an indignant glare from molten eyes. Emma explained bitterly, "If you want to fuck, then let's fuck but don't you dare pull any of that soft and gentle crap. We both know it's a bullshit."

Her gaze darkened even more in fury and arousal, nearly obsidian irises boring into her own, "Be careful what you wish for."

This time Regina lunged at her, mouth attaching to her neck and sucking with bruising force. Emma groaned at the mixture of pleasure and pain, rolling her body into the woman's who had her trapped against the desk. Her hands came up to claw at Regina's back, tugging off her coat and letting it slip unnoticed to the floor. Her fingers and nails slipped against the satin of her blazer and she hoped she snagged the material, ruining the cloth. Furious lips moved lower to her chest while the blonde's hands dipped to grab Regina's ass, massaging the full flesh there and keeping them tightly pressed together.

The brunette shoved her hand up Emma's shirt and pushed her bra up to roughly palm her breast, the sensation shooting down her torso and settling in her core that was throbbing with need. She hated how strongly her body responded to her touch but the thought was quickly chased from her mind as Regina tweaked her nipple. Her back arched and her head fell back with a wanting moan. The older woman gave a short, mean laugh, "You're such a little slut. I bet you're already dripping wet."

"Fuck you." Emma glowered. This just served to amuse the mayor more, the crass phrase met with a throaty chuckle. The brunette suddenly shoved her up so she was seated on the desk, manila folders falling carelessly to the floor. She kept pushing back until the sheriff was laid all the way down, slightly uncomfortable with a paperweight and maybe the stapler digging into her back. She didn't care though as Regina leaned down to nibble on her breasts through her top, not bothering to take the time to remove it. Teeth scraped against her nipple and her tongue teased her mercilessly, leaving the fabric damp with the evidence of her effort.

Forceful hands began to undo the brass button of her jeans then wrenched the tight fabric down to her knees along with her underwear. Regina grinned into her neck when she dragged her fingers through the liquid heat between her thighs, "Looks like I was right. You're soaked."

"Are you going to just talk about it or are you going to actually do something?" Emma growled, rocking her hips into the unhurried graze. The volatile woman responded by pinched her clit none too nicely. She yelped and tried to jerk away but didn't have anywhere to escape to.

"So impatient to have me fill you up and fuck you senseless." Her lips brushed against her skin whispering the explicate words into her neck, which pissed off the pinned woman and excited her at the same time. She didn't have time to retort with Regina shoving two fingers into her center, the sudden intrusion burning slightly.

"Shit." She hissed but the discomfort didn't last long though, her inner walls stretching to accommodate the hard thrusting of her fingers.

The brunette continued to talk dirty. "You're so tight. Your pussy is so desperate, squeezing the hell out of my fingers."

Each derogatory comment from the mayor spurred on her pleasure, the words buzzing around her mind, and fueled her rage towards the woman as well. She was fire and Regina was gasoline and together they were ablaze with devouring fervor. Emma clutched at the shoulders hovering above her and spat out viscously, "You call that fucking? I can barely feel it."

A rumble erupted from her companion's throat and fingers slammed into her, then dragged down roughly to push harder onto the most sensitive part of her center, which Regina intimately knew well, and repeated the motion with deadly accuracy. The blonde cried out in satisfaction unable to offer any more antagonistic retorts as she was driven closer to the precipice. The brunette however had more incendiary ripostes to offer. "You need it harder? Faster? You need to be _taken_."

Her free hand came up to the base of Emma's skull, wrapping around her hair, and tugging so that her head was pulled back, exposing her pale neck. The sheriff was lost in the sensations; thinking of nothing but the feeling curling in her nerves, ready to unravel at any moment. Regina licked her throat; still mumbling illicitly at her almost as if she were unaware she was doing so. "I'll fuck you until dazed and dizzy. So hard that you'll be sore tomorrow…"

As if sensing her climax, the brunette picked up the pace of her hand, her thumb sloppily bumping into her clit. Another few thrusts had Emma bucking against her as her orgasm ripped violently through her, her mouth hung open in a silent scream. It felt like forever that she was suspended in rigid euphoria. Until finally her muscles loosened, feeling tired and quivery. Her mind stayed frustratingly blank as she tried to grasp a concrete thought. The first thing she realized when her conscious regained control was the mouth moving softly against her neck, tenderly kissing over her assuredly bruised skin as if in apology. Emma shut her eyes tight feeling moisture welling against her lashes but refusing to let the tears fall. She pressed her lips together and swallowed hard.

It was tempting to allow the brunette to nuzzle against her, basking in the stolen intimate moment. She wanted to wrap her arms around Regina's waist and hold her closer. She wanted to giggle with the woman that she would return the favor as soon as she could feel her legs again. More than the thrill of their sex, she wished for the times in between. The blonde wanted this woman in all her complexities, her fiery passion, her dry humor, and her brooding fury that always seemed just beneath the surface ready to come boiling over whenever necessary. And like right now, Emma wanted the infinite tenderness she could display. That wasn't her reality though. Regina didn't want to share that part of herself with her. So she took what was offered to her despite the ache in her chest that it caused.

The blonde surged upward; jostling the mayor enough off balance so she could plant her own feet back on the ground. She pushed forward, stumbling along as her pants were still stuck down at her knees, until Regina ran into the windowed wall of her office with a resounding thump and the clattering sound of the blinds nearly getting torn down. Wasting little time, she placed hot, open-mouthed kisses on her neck, scraping her teeth against her pulse point like at any moment she might decide to bite down violently on the vein. Her hands roved restlessly over the red dress that fit snugly on her curvy form. Whenever she got a moan of approval, her hand would quickly slip away to some other place and avoid that area, leaving her writhing in frustration.

Before Regina could demand more with an intimidating 'Ms. Swan', Emma sank to her knees and bunched up the fabric of her skirt. The older woman had skipped wearing stocking even though the weather had settled into the bitter cold of winter so it was easy to slide the black lace acting as her underwear down her shapely legs. She tossed the skimpy garment aside. Running her hands up the backs of smooth thighs, she cupped Regina's ass and pulled roughly to meet her sex with her incessant lips. Her tongue explored the velvety folds of her center, tasting the amber and tang of her arousal. The brunette tried to adjust her stance to get Emma's attention where she wanted it the most.

But the blonde wasn't feeling obliging. She tugged on Regina's leg, draping her thigh over her shoulder then did the same with the other forcing the woman to sit on her shoulders and leaving her subject to Emma's whims. The brunette braced one hand on the window frame and the other gripped a near by filing cabinet to maintain her precarious balance in the new position.

The sheriff licked broad strokes up her slit, drawing out deep moans from her throat. Occasionally she would delve her tongue into her entrance as far as it could go, fluttering it teasingly against her walls, making the woman above her gasp sharply. Emma let one of her hands wander from the firm bottom she was still massaging to drive two fingers into Regina's core, which immediately clenched around her yearning for the stimulation. She heard the muffled sound on her high heels falling off behind her as her toes curled. The brunette tilted her hips further forward, muttering deliriously, "Oh god, yes."

Pumping her fingers steadily, her tongue circled her clit at a tortuously slow pace and the mayor whimpered. She really tried to hold back from giving Regina her orgasm, to leisurely drag it out and make the woman squirm and beg for it. But it was nearly impossible to resist the silky muscles already trembling under her fingers, knowing exactly where to push to send her over the edge. And having the unique, divine flavor of Regina on her taste buds spurred her appetite for the woman into a frenzy. She sucked her clit into her mouth and angled her thrusts a bit lower. Regina cried out in ecstasy as her hips grinded erratically into Emma's face.

The blonde barely had control; nearly dropping her with the force her climax shook through her body but she held on to help the older woman ride out her pleasure. Eventually the quaking woman's movements slowed and she slumped against the wall the best she could in her state. Extracting her fingers Emma lazily lapped up the wetness, savoring it while she still could. Before Regina could completely regain her senses though, she suddenly tossed off one of her legs from her shoulder. After a beat she did the same to the other, the startled mayor catching herself just in time so she didn't end up sprawled out on the floor.

The sheriff didn't spare her a glance however, yanking her jeans back up and grabbing her jacket from the coat rack. She hastily made her way to the exit, unable to deal with the repercussions of her actions and knowing that Regina did not reciprocate any feelings in the matter. So she fled, finally finding the motivation to make it back to her apartment. Murmuring quickly over her shoulder, she disappeared in a flash of red, "Be sure to lock up on your way out."


	18. Omens & White Rabbits

A/N: Just a note, there is a little time jump here. We pick up after Kathryn is found and Sydney confesses to the crimes. I may flush out the story if there is enough interest later on. Any ways, onward and forward.

/

"Sheriff Swan, what are you doing here?" Regina had not expected the blonde to be the one ringing the doorbell, interrupting her and Henry's quiet dinner.

"Henry invited me." She offered flatly.

Her eyes narrowed. Something seemed off about the blonde, like she was missing the complexities that made up the younger woman; a wax figure made to look up like her but lacking the life and passion of her. Regina ignored the churning in her gut. "Do you honestly believe I would allow you into my house for dinner after all the threats you made to my family?"

"I didn't come for dinner." Her voice was still dull.

"Then what did you come for?" Her instincts told her to step back as fear crept up her spine.

"You." The word was hollow. A chill blasted her from behind and she whipped around to find the once warm lights of her home had gone out. Dark, cold shadows cast forebodingly around the rooms. Her stomach dropped when she noticed her son had disappeared, the same way it always did when he wasn't in her sights but this felt more sinister.

"We all did." She turned back to Emma who was now no longer standing alone but with a mob of angry faces flanking her sides. Snow, Charming, and their normal company glared at her with murder in their eyes. She gasped and edged backed away from them. The savior's gaze flicked to behind her shoulder, prompting her to look behind her. At the top of the stairs was Henry, unnervingly silent and now holding heavy rope over his thin shoulder as if it was his backpack.

"Henry, no!" She called out to him, trying to move toward him. But suddenly she wasn't in her foyer anymore. Instead they were all in the town square as she stumbled into forceful hands that pushed her against the rough bark of a tree and wound rope tightly around her, the thick cords digging into her skin painfully. The panic rose further in her, remembering what it was like to be trapped by her mother's malicious binds. "No, let me go! I command it."

"After everything that you've done to all of us?" Ruby barked at her like a rabid wolf.

And even the usually mild-mannered cricket sneered. "My apologies, your majesty, but my conscious is clear."

Snow White spoke passionately, her voice ringing with the self-righteous justice that she liked to overuse. "You took our love and ripped it apart."

"And now you're going to pay." The prince finished threateningly for her.

Emma stepped up once again, pulling down an apple black as coal from one of the low hanging branches. Regina watched in horror as she squeezed it in front of her, the fruit collapsing and oozing with sickly slime. The blonde intoned, "Rotten to the core."

"I just wanted to win… for once." Regina whispered brokenly to the younger woman, searching for any spark or acknowledgment in her eyes but they might as well have been stone with the way they gave nothing. Emma advanced on her. Slim fingers wrapped around her throat, not choking her but enough to take her breath away. The savior leaned in close enough that she could steal a kiss. Regina's heart pounded in her chest, wishing that she could close the gap.

Instead Emma growled out raggedly, reflecting the anger of her cohorts, "You took away our happiness, now it's our turn to take away yours."

She spun around and took the sword offered to her from her father. Desperation clawed up her throat. Looking to her son, she sought mercy from the little boy she raised. She thought back to when that pink, squirming infant was first placed into her arms and how she'd loved him without any hesitation. Surely somewhere in his mind he would remember that as the brunette pleaded, "Henry, please don't let them do this to me."

"You did this to yourself." He spat cruelly at her then fell in line with his grandparents. The last thing she remembered was Emma raising her weapon and the high zinging sound of the blade coming down towards her.

Then she woke up with a jolt.

Later on as she tried to fall into her normal routine, the normally infallible woman could not rid herself of the fear her dream evoke. It had only been a meaningless dream, Regina told herself. Nothing more than a series of meaningless images brought on by stress and last night's dinner. But her morning had only declined from then on. She was unable to shake the unease that her dream invoked, which doubled when she discovered her beloved apple tree was dying. The once vibrant fruit fell to the ground, riddled with brown and black spots like a disease had taken hold. The tree had always reflected her magic in the other realm, flourishingly and growing stronger as she mastered the craft. In this world, logically she knew it had become a simple thing of nature, no longer connected to her magic that didn't exist here. But the occurrence did not bode well for her.

Then Henry forgot his lunch, leading to her infuriating run in with Mary Margaret who had the gull to forgive her, like she needed her absolution. She nearly threw a temper tantrum in the schoolyard. Regina found herself wishing for the old Snow White who would be more inclined to lay siege to her castle than forgive the evil queen for her crimes. The curse was designed to bring out an individual's worst qualities though, and Regina always thought that one of her more annoying traits was her misplaced, self-righteousness. That woman thought she was the moral compass by which everyone should follow, incapable of any wrongdoing.

Normally seeing her son would be enough to calm her and center her thoughts, he always reminded her what was important but instead she was met with defiance and declaration that he believed the curse would break and the happy endings would come back. The way Henry spoke to her reminded her so much of her dream, her heart hurt to think of it. So she pushed it aside and focused on someone who was easier to revile, Emma Swan.

Ms. Swan was proving to be rather more resourceful than she had anticipated. The industrious sheriff seemed to be around every corner working her damnedest to unravel her carefully laid plans of defaming Mary Margaret and getting rid of Snow White once and for all. She remembered the blonde showing up on her doorstep already triumphant with her perceived victory and a warrant, which she knew was illegally obtained. The anonymous phone call stating they saw her digging by the toll bridge was clearly fabricated because if there had been a phone call they would have seen Mr. Glass burying a pig's heart and a stolen jewelry box in the middle of the night. The moron though apparently couldn't do anything right, leaving evidence to be tracked back to her. Fortunately for her, with the reporter still firmly in her pocket, he immediately called her when he over heard the conversation between Emma and that vagabond writer that followed her around like a brooding puppy with a five o'clock shadow. The evidence was gone, the handle sent through a wood chipper and the spade washed away in the bottom of the Atlantic, long before Emma came knocking.

Her scheme had almost been complete when that good-for-nothing warlock double-crossed her. She should have known better than to make a deal with Rumple. Not only did he unearth Kathryn Nolan just in the knick time to keep Ms. Blanchard in town, he made sure the trail led squarely back to her. Her hold over Sydney saved her once again as he willingly fell on the metaphorical sword, all too eager to make it up to her for his previous near blunder, and confessed sole responsibility for the kidnapping. So for the moment, the mayor and the sheriff were at a stalemate but Regina still felt rattled.

The threats that Emma issued, spewing hatefully like lava coming up from her belly, felt like anything but empty. The evil queen would have laughed at her audacity and turned her into stone, making her a lovely addition to her statue garden. Regina however felt dread creeping up her spine and settling unpleasantly at the back of her skull. _You tried to take away someone that I love, and now I'm going to take away someone you love. I'm taking back my son._

The words followed her around like chains, clanging around incessantly in her head to the point of madness. She picked up her pace along the frozen sidewalk as if trying to out run it. Her fist clenched around the brass ring safely tucked into her pocket, turning her thoughts tenderly to Daniel. She remembered him in glimpses now. A flash of chestnut hair, a boyish grin, throaty laughter mixed with the sounds of horses nickering along with him, the smell of clean hay and musky leather, the tickle of stubble against her cheek, sunny picnics in the meadow, the comforting pressure of hands at her waist, and little bouquets of lavender and violets tucked into Rocinante's bridle for her to find. The memories soothed her and she loosened the grip of her hand.

It could barely be considered jewelry, a circle of brass borrowed from her stallion's saddle, a pauper's engagement. But if Regina had the chance to trade it for any other ring in the world, she would keep this one every single time. She would do anything to have lived out her days with the stable boy in a hovel on the edge of the woods, as long as they had each other and some horses to tend to. They would have been quietly happy and enduringly fond of one another until they grayed with a dozen adoring grandchildren surrounding them. And she would only sometimes think of adventures she missed with a touch of melancholy. Because Daniel was steady and kind, not made for swinging a sword or climbing a mountain. He had simple dreams that Regina would gladly cling onto if it meant escaping her mother and the dreary of life as royalty. Thinking back now, she didn't really have a chance to discover what she truly wanted before Snow White came barreling into her world on a run-away horse and ruined everything.

She bristled once again feeling her blood boil at the thought of the little tattletale safe at home, probably slugging back hot chocolate with her blonde roommate. The mayor had definitely wanted her vengeance but there was another motive to her actions, quieter but perhaps stronger than the noisy, insistent call for revenge that usually seethed through her. With Mary Margaret out of the picture, it was her hope that Emma would have had no one else to turn to and for her to seek comfort in her, perhaps finally conceding that the schoolteacher was not quite so innocent when convicted in a court of law. The blonde already had a difficult time in resisting their physical relationship, as was evident from her lapse in control and the subsequent tryst in the sheriff's office.

Regina felt heat creep up in her cheeks as she reminisced on the encounter. Emma always had to push her. The fiery younger woman tested her limits and they always ended up in a place that she couldn't anticipate. Raunchy words issuing from her were nearly unbidden, but so satisfying; fingers digging pleasantly into supple flesh almost to the point of bruising. It had been exactly the release she needed. Even when they were at odds Emma seemed to know exactly what Regina required. She slipped seamlessly in between roles in one moment her adversary, the next a lover, and then she'd make her laugh out of nowhere and her heart felt lighter than it had in years. It left her feeling unstable and yet wanting more, like waiting for the next thrilling dip in a roller coaster ride.

It was the exhilaration of the fight, Regina convinced herself as she came up on Mr. Gold's shop. She had no one to challenge all these years and now she looked forward to besting Ms. Swan like she did with all her opponents. Like she was about to do to the worm, Rumplestiltskin.

She pushed her way inside the pawnshop, the bell chiming over her head and grating against her nerves. If she could redo her curse she would ensure that no bells would be allowed on the premise of Storybrooke.

The smug gremlin stood behind the counter, appearing to be innocently leafing through an old book. But she sensed he was simply feigning interest in the text, as if he knew she was coming and he had just been biding his time before her arrival. It was an infuriating habit that he brought over from the Enchanted Forest. She brusquely interrupted his little act, "My tree is dying. Why?"

He barely glanced up at her, "Perhaps it's your fertilizer, your Majesty."

"You think this is funny?" She snapped but didn't give him time to respond as she continued to rant. "I'll tell you what I think. I think it is a sign the curse is weakening. Because of Emma."

She hadn't meant to use the younger woman's first name and the second it slipped out she felt a pang in her stomach. The sound of it off her lips dragged up the feeling of familiarity and intimacy that she worked so hard to tamper down. It seemed as if the name hung heavily in the air for a long time but really it was a second before Regina resumed her tirade, hopefully letting the distain dripping from her tone cover up her inner thoughts. "But do you care? No. You're content to just sit back and do- whatever it is you're doing. While all my hard work burns."

"That's not all, is it?" Her eyes narrowed at him. Surely he did not pick up on the past nature of her relationship with Ms. Swan. She had been so careful in concealing their affair, especially from the man before her. Information like that in his hands could hold dire consequences.

He sighed as if incredibly bored. "Come on. Might as well get everything off your chest."

Her arms crossed defensively. "I don't know what you're talking about?"

"Henry." He said as if it were obvious. "Ms. Swan wants him."

Relief flooded her as she did her best to remain unperturbed. Rolling her eyes she mustered up a standard droll response. "She'll have that boy over my dead body."

Fortunately he was absorbed in his own thoughts and continued to only be vaguely annoyed at her presence. He snapped his book shut, "The curse was meant to take away Snow White and Prince Charming happiness. Perhaps giving up Henry is the price you have to pay to keep the curse unbroken."

The man was more delusional than she believed if he thought she was going to make another sacrifice as her heart clenched painfully in her chest. She spoke like she was grinding her words into dust. "I've already paid my price. I think I'd rather just get rid of her."

"Well, well. You're going to have to be quite creative. We both know the repercussions of killing Ms. Swan." Gold tittered as he limped across the room to place the book into its empty slot on the shelf. Then turned with flourish like he did when like skin glimmered with eons of darkness reflecting his present moniker.

"The curse will be broken." She recited along with him, detracting from the theatrically he tried to achieve.

Pointing her finger accusingly at him, "That's because you designed it that way. Undo it."

Unperturbed by her glowering tone, the pawnbroker shrugged, "Even if I wanted to. I couldn't. Magic is in short supply around here and dwindling by the minute."

Regina could practically feel her ring burning in her pocket. It was imbued with the tender, glowing magic of young love. Perhaps not as potent as true love, but held a bigger place in her heart than a broad-shouldered stranger in a tavern ever could. She hadn't carried it with her for some time now though there was a time it never left her possession, clutching to it as if the band was a physical memory. However, when Henry entered her life she knew it was time to put it aside, letting it sit in her jewelry box along with the assorted necklaces and earrings the curse had produced for her. Only taking it from its place at odd hours in the night when she awoke from a rare dream that produced his face and left her yearning. This morning when Regina emerged from sleep feeling shaken by her nightmare, she'd quickly dug out her ring seeking the comfort it provided and trying not to think of the longing, which hovered in the back of her mind that had come from dreaming of a different face with sharp green eyes, framed by blonde curls.

Lost in her musings, the mayor almost missed a glaringly obvious, very dubious fact. The realization dawned on her like the first illuminating ray of sunrise and she felt stupid for not catching it sooner as spoke incredulously, "You want the curse broken. Why?"

Her suspicion confirmed when he stiffened and turned his back to her to look over one of his collectibles with renewed concentration at yet another counter. "That's not something I care to discuss."

"Don't bother you can shove your reasons." She dismissed quickly. Truly Regina was insanely curious but the tight-lipped toad would not share his secrets anymore than she would share hers. Far more underhand tactics were required to discover information on the man. "I want to strike a new deal. One where I can get rid of Ms. Swan without shattering the curse."

"Unfortunately for you, a negotiation requires two interested parties, and I'm already planning a trip." He shifted, revealing that the object of his attention was a globe of this world. A three-dimensional map of this neat, little universe; whole and seamless without tears or portals to other dimensions, or at least they were so scarce and hard to find that it seemed impenetrable. And yet here they stood, a foreign invading species claiming a small patch of this land.

Her heart dropped like a lead weight, thinking of what may happen if the curse did break. Would they all be whisked back to the Enchanted Forest? Is that why Rumple wanted to leave Storybrooke in hopes of eluding being swept back into their realm? She'd rather die than have to go back to the place that only harbored her heartbreak and torment for all those years. Regina blurted desperately without thought.

"I'll give you anything." She grasped for straws but they were being spun quickly away from her, turning into gold. Rumplestiltskin gave a low, dark chuckle and that sinking feeling pulled further down, a cold and ever growing shadow pressing around her with each word he spoke.

"You no longer have anything I want dearie. But I will give you a bit of advice, free of charge. I'd plan a trip of your own. Because once people wake up, remember who you are and what you did to them? They are going to be looking for blood."

/

Regina marched back to the now abandoned schoolyard. The threat issued by Rumple didn't grow her terror like he had hoped but spurred her fury. Her whole life she had been manipulated, but here she had been her own woman and she wouldn't give that up without a fight.

Mr. Gold may have been the Dark One in the enchanted forest however he was just a man here in the real world. The playing field was even and the Evil Queen had a few more tricks up her sleeves. Placing a calling card on one of the bikes, a playing card with a white rabbit in a red waist coat serving as the joker, she slinked away with a smirk, certain her audience would see the message and respond to her soon.


	19. Run Away Savior

"Oh" Mary Margaret barely glanced up from her tea making when the blonde slipped back into the apartment, her tone cold and withdrawn. "I thought you'd left."

"Mary Margaret-"

"But I couldn't tell for sure because you didn't bother to say goodbye. Do you remember when I left? When I ran? What you said to me?" Her voice grated against Emma's nerves. Whatever goodness the homely schoolteacher possessed that had drawn her in had begun to sour as Emma tired of the self-righteousness the other woman exuded. It was becoming exhausting to live up to her moral standards. Emma clenched her jaw and bared it though as Mary Margaret continued to scold her like a child.

"You said we have to stick together. That we're like family."

A small amount of guilt ebbed into her conscious, knowing she should not have left without a word. But when one was trying to illegally escape into the night with her son it was best not to announce it. She sighed, "You're right. I shouldn't have left."

Especially since Henry had begged to go back to his house. Her heart burned painfully with ashamed heat realizing how close she had been to taking a young boy away from his mother. Despite whatever had gone down between her and Regina she could never escape the fact that the infuriating woman was still his mother. He said they needed to stay to save the town and though he still acted in rebellion against his mom, Emma could hear the fear in his voice. Fear from the prospect of being taken from his real mother who was definitely not Emma.

"You're right you shouldn't have! So why, after everything did you just go?" The normally docile woman raised her voice and the pain in Emma's chest flared into anger.

"I don't want to be Sheriff. I don't want people relying on me! I never wanted any of this!" This wasn't necessarily true. She'd found a lot of satisfaction acting as the sheriff, even excelled at it against all odds. But in the moment she felt so overwhelmed, Emma wanted to refuse it all. She hadn't noticed how far she had been drug down the rabbit hole. Looking back on her life, she tried to see the light of day, she tried to see Boston and whatever bit of normalcy she had made for herself there but it seemed so far gone. Now all she saw was cozy evenings with Mary Margaret, and paperwork at the Sheriff's station, and Henry's lopsided smile, and Regina and the maddening desire to kiss her. Everything tunneled around her making it feel like it was all going to collapse.

"And what about Henry?"

Emma met the glare from her roommate with her own defiant stare. She knew her actions were wrong but part of her wouldn't regret trying to be with her son and make him happy, "I took him with me."

"You abducted him?" Mary Margaret asked incredulously. Her arms folded across her chest in clear condemnation.

It was an ugly word that gave Emma pause. She would shoulder the responsibility of her actions but not to Mary Margaret, not right now, "Maybe."

"You don't want anyone to rely on you but you took your son?" She kept twisting the knife. "Now that sounds like a stable home for him. What the hell is wrong with you?"

"I just want what is best for him."

"And running is what's best for him? Or is that what's best for you?" Her tone flipped from upright resentment to a slightly softer I'm-not-mad-just-disappointed tone, "You're reverting Emma, to the person you were before you got here. I thought you changed."

"Well you thought wrong." Emma snapped. She'd had enough of this lecture. "You don't know me Mary Margaret. You don't know what it's like to have to give up the one thing you love more than anything to the system that chewed you up and spit you out and hope that he has it better. Because I couldn't be a mother when I never had one."

"Emma-"

"No, I thought I was doing what was best for Henry. I didn't track him down and try to steal him away. He came to me. I thought that he wanted this… clearly I misread the situation." The heavy feeling of rejection hung around her neck like an old friend. She nearly whispered in resignation, "I didn't ask for any of this. And you have no right to stand there and pass judgment on me like you're the white queen."

Emma's words hung in the air as Mary Margaret left them unanswered for the moment. Tension still hovered in the space between them, bulky and irresolvable. The pixie-haired woman holding on tight to her anger and Emma resolutely unapologetic for herself and growing more resentful of Mary Margaret's disapproval by the moment. Her companion cleared her throat, "Well what are you planning on doing now?"

The blonde only knew one thing, "I'm planning on doing what I set out to do. Whatever is best for Henry."

"And what's that?"

Emma turned her back on the other woman, mumbling, "I'll know after I shower."


	20. Hat Trick

Her brow bent with worry as she gazed down at her dying tree. Like an enchanted flower losing its petals, the apples dropped to rot on the ground. Regina wondered what would happen when the last of its fruit fell. Her reverie was interrupted by the sound of someone entering her office and instinctively she knew who it was. Flipping her expression, she put on an alluring smile before turning to face the new arrival.

"Jefferson." He looked tired and slightly mad, as his title in the Enchanted Forest would imply. "So you got my message."

"How could I miss it?" The man grumbled with little patience. "You know I watch her."

Regina moved around him toward the drink cart, continuing her nonchalant and unflappable façade. "It must be so painful. Having you daughter Paige being oh so near."

He lashed out at her mocking attempt of sympathy. "Grace. Her name is Grace. You should know that. You changed it."

She didn't deny his accusations as she uncorked her decanter of whiskey and set about preparing a couple drinks. He inquired intolerantly, "What do you want?"

"Your help." She sounded dispassionate, not speaking to the dread steadily building around her. She needed him to believe everything was in hand and not in a total tailspin.

"What makes you think I won't kill you after everything you've done?" His voice shook at her audacity to come to him asking for anything least of all his help.

"Because you don't have it in you. If you did, you would have done it 28 years ago when I brought you here." Regina verged into dangerous territory. Jefferson spent those 28 years alone in his large house in the woods, trying to feverishly accomplish the impossible task of recreating his magical hat. He was bound to snap at some point but she played the odds. She knew his weakness seeing it was one they shared. "Because you know if I'm dead, you'll never get back to your daughter. And I have a way for us to both get what we want."

She presented him a glass with a healthy pour of whiskey. He glared hard at her; she watched as the mechanisms in his brain whirled with the options presented to him. Seemingly reluctantly the murderous intent in his eyes faded and he dropped the white rabbit card into the offered drink in obstinate refusal. She rolled her eyes at him but took it as a sign to continue her proposition. Regina breezed passed, discarding the spoiled beverage on her desk, as she went to retrieve an unnoticed package along the wall. She figured it was time for a little show and tell.

She hoisted the oddly shaped leather case from the ground and walked it to conference table where she placed it with a solid thud, adding glibly, "I come to you with hat in hand."

"My hat." Jefferson acknowledged. He unlatched the fastenings and flipped open the worn out lid to reveal the top hat. In their world of magic the object could be used to travel between worlds and times; a truly uniquely supernatural item. In Storybrooke however, it was just a particularly gaudy headdress.

He looked entranced at the hat. Regina stepped into his line of sight, breaking the connection, and he moved back apparently startled. She smiled and elaborated her plan further. "I want you to use it again."

"I can't make it work." His voice growled with frustration. "No one can. Not here, not without magic."

"Well then we're in luck because I happen to have some." She spoke lightly and she could see his expression shift to greater interest. "Not a lot. But hopefully enough for one last journey."

"Where?"

"Back to our land, where there is a solution to a very delicate problem I have." She lifts the hat and holds it between them. "How to get rid on the one person who can break my curse."

He smacks his lips as he says her name. "Emma."

Hearing the savior's name invoked aloud causes Regina's stomach to drop. Coupled with a flash of anger as she recalled the woman in question being held captive in Jefferson's home, it nearly sends her emotions reeling. Despite the sheriff's best efforts to conceal Mary Margaret's midnight escape,Regina had pieced together the events from Sydney's spying. She barely manages to keep the reaction from her face as he went on. "And we shouldn't I let her just do that. End the madness and go home."

The queen scoffs, her eyebrows rising incredulously, "To your hovel? Selling fungus at the fair? Why? When you can just stay here in the mansion I gave you?"

His jaw clenches as she strikes another sore spot. His desire to give whatever his daughter's name was a better life was always stuck in his craw. A life where she would never go to bed hungry and could have as many dolls as she could dream of. Her and Jefferson were truly not all that different. Regina placed the at-the-moment useless hat back into its box. Tapping the man on the chest she moves around him with dizzying effect and pressed on, "My problem Jefferson is the same as yours. It's family. We both want our children back and we both can get them if we work together."

"Why should I trust you now?" He sneers.

"You shouldn't." Regina said honestly then reminded him. "But it's the only offer you've got. Afterward I'll wake up your Grace so she remembers who you are-"

"No!" He emphatically cuts her off and she fears she's lost him for a second. But he slowly stalks toward her explaining, "Remembering is the worst curse. Two lives in your head like me. I want to forget. I want you to write us a new story, a fresh start. Here."

He speaks definitively with a hint of threat looming in its notes, offering no room for negotiation. She gives him a contained smile, after all this time he proved to be just as easy to manipulate, and she provides a promise that she has no intention of keeping. "Well then, my dear Jefferson, that is exactly what you will have. Of course after we take care of Ms. Swan."

/

Which is how the two of them ended up in Regina's father's mausoleum, descending the staircase into a secret lower level of the crypt. The steep, narrow path lead them down into shadows. Regina calls out behind her, "Watch your step."

"What is this place?" He glances nervously around at the grimy, cobwebbed stones as she leads him into her vault room. The only source of light is the pale gray afternoon light that comes in streaming behind them. Alcoves are carved into the walls lining them with old, once-enchanted relics and where, once upon a time, stolen hearts would have resided and where a select few still did.

"Where I've kept my last bit of my magic." She wondered if he could feel the faint hum of it and based on his uneasiness she believed he could. "The only magic in this world is in the things I've brought with me."

He nods, eyeing her warily, and tips the hat in her direction in grime recognition to her. Jefferson places the transporter onto the tiled floor, designed with circular patterns that Regina knew had been transcribed from a magical text to promote magical potency. They stood with bated breath as they watched the hat do nothing.

The mad hatter dragged his fingers through his short cropped her, frustration leaking from his tone. "It's not spinning. It's not working."

The evil queen however was not so readily deterred. She could feel the low din of magic, practically non-existent, but still there swirling under the surface. The hat wants to perform its magic trick; they just needed a boost to tap into it. "It needs to absorb the magic that is in here. I have some things left."

Taking a dusty wooden box from a shelf, she pries it open. The odd baubles inside are shells of the power they once held but even still she can already feel the slightly electric buzz increase. "A few trinkets."

Regina kneels before the hat, tipping her offering inside, the artifacts jingling and rattling in objection as they fall from their resting place. She stands back, willing the hat to motion, but the stupid thing doesn't so much as wobble. Jefferson plucks it up to investigate, flipping it upside down, they discover the items have disappeared; an entertaining parlor trick for a child's birthday party but has left the queen unimpressed. Jefferson sighs, digging his fingers into the brim, Regina sensed his impatience matched with her own. The enchantment was just beyond their grasp. "It's not enough. We need something that still works."

Realization came over her like a reluctant and dreaded dawn. At first she brushed her fingertips against her pocket, recalling the precious circle of metal she had place there this morning. Gingerly, her fingers dipped into the confine and came to the jewelry, smooth and warm from being against her body heat. Regina extracted the ring as if it were a delicate, lost treasure. As she gazed at it, it glowed dimly, imbued with the promise of a first love, the last vestige of her ill-fated romance with Daniel. Jefferson quickly caught sight, his interest piqued. "What's that?"

She didn't spare him a glance; her eyes transfixed and lost in the memory of them even as she answered. "A gift from someone long gone."

"Well whatever it is, it still has magical properties. Let me see what I can do with it." He reached for the totem. Regina bristled, her lips curling into a grimace at the man and her hand wrapped protectively around her ring. Jefferson was passed the point of intimidation as he pressed her. "If you want your son back, if you want you revenge, give it to me."

His words struck her solidly, her heart aching at the prospect of parting with her most cherished possession. But she was rapidly running out of time and options. In giving up this last bit of herself, she could secure a love greater than the one lost; the love of her son. The queen's resolve hardened, her eyes became firm in determination as she gestured for Jefferson to set the hat back down with an imperious point of her finger. He did, backing away to a respectful distance.

Regina approaches the gaping opening of the hat, the inside so pitch black she couldn't see the bottom. She lowers herself once again before the hat, looking softly at the ring with one last goodbye echoing in her head, the queen's hand disappears into the small abyss. As soon as the ring touches the crushed velvet lining, Regina could feel the solidness evaporate from her grasp, gone forever. She swallowed the sob in the back of her throat and wrenched her hand away. As soon as she extracted herself, to her relief, the hat began a lazy spin and conjures a swirl of purple haze. Still after a moment, no portal appeared. "What's wrong? Why isn't it opening a portal?"

"The magic- it's not enough. We can't go anywhere." Jefferson kneels in front next to the hat, rubbing his face in aggravation.

"Then you failed." Regina hissed at him. Her fingers itched to sink into the man's chest and pull out his heart but she would have to settle for calling Sydney Glass and enlisting his help to detain the useless man only to remember Sydney was already in the mental ward hospitalized for his 'psychotic break' of attacking Kathryn. Her frustration grew, wanting to desperately throw him in a cell with Graham and the other. It would be an apt enough punishment; where he could no longer be able to watch his daughter from afar. The charlatan had cost her the last chance she had to save her curse. He had cost her the last sliver of Daniel she had left. Regina could feel herself fracturing when Jefferson exclaimed suddenly, sounding a desperate as she felt.

"Maybe not. There is enough magic to touch the other side just not get us there." He may have well have been on his knees pleading for his life. "There might be enough to reach through and retrieve something."

A spark of hope ignited in the mayor, thwarting her plans to crush the mad hatter for the time being. "I can bring something back?"

"Is there an object that can help you? Perhaps I can open it enough to reach through and grab it. It would have to be small. Something you can take in your hand. Is there anything like that that can help you?"

A creeping smile made its way to her lips. "Yes, yes I believe there is."

"Okay." He handed the hat to her, his voice slightly shaking as he instructed. "I need you to direct me to the time and place where this object exists."

"How?"

"Think about it. Guide the hat."

Regina holds the magically object ceremoniously in from of herself, thinking of the abandoned barn and fields of her childhood home, of standing before her most beloved's grave with the her most hated enemy, and of the innocuous red fruit she presented to her. Suddenly the top hat spins out of her hands. It rotates stronger than before and the purple smoke thicker and headier. A surprise giggle escapes her. "Oh!"

The intoxicating feeling of magic seeps up her fingertips and rushes through her veins like a wild horse on a great expanse. It's not her magic, rather the residual vibrations spilling from the hat. It is enough though to conjure the giddy feeling she remembers from first learning the craft. Jefferson's flat voice brings her back to focus. "Excellent, it appears to be working. Now what is it we're after?"

Her eyes gleamed with a sinister promise, "An apple."

He nodded warily and held his hand over the swirling vortex that emanates from hat. She holds her breath, only concentrating on the apple and bringing it to her. It feels like an eternity before the hat abruptly skids to a halt and then, as if falling up, a perfect apple save for one bite taken from its red flesh comes out of the hat.

Jefferson catches it, turning the fruit upward to lie in his open palm, "Is this it?"

"Yes." Regina said breathlessly, grabbing her prize from him. "Yes it is."

"And my daughter? My Grace?" She can barely register his wants, consumed by her plans to finally rid herself of the Sheriff of Storybrooke.

"First things first." She reminds him, her voice deep with gleeful plotting. "The deal is not done. Not until I solve my next conundrum… How to get this savior to taste my forbidden fruit."


	21. The Princess in the Stables

The stables were empty now; the dried timbers like a skeleton, housing nothing but straw and heartache. Regina felt as hollowed out this barn as she passed each barren stall, the horses long ago sold off or dead with the exception of Rocinante who lived in the palace stables amongst the shiny black mounts her soldiers rode. Everyone that had touched this place was gone or dead. She released a trembling sigh.

This was where it all started and it was only fitting for it all to end here. Dressed in one of her best Evil Queen gowns of midnight blue silk and her hair twisted in a dastardly style, she would meet with Snow White and finally get her revenge. She clutched at the velvet purple sack in her hands, the contents guaranteeing her success. Sensing someone coming near, she slipped into a cool façade prepared face her foe.

"Hello Regina."

The brunette whipped around, her menacing smile faltered. The soft timber of the voice wasn't of Snow White as she had expected. Instead in the wide open door frame stood Emma Swan with a small grin on her face and hands raised up in mock surrender.

"What are you doing here?" She asked with biting incredulity. The blonde woman wore clothes from the Enchanted Forest, a dark blue vest over a delicate white blouse and riding pants. She looked like royalty, holding herself proudly like her mother but she was not without the influence of her father, possessing a bit of dashing roguishness from his commoner roots. This was not the Emma Swan of the real world. This woman grew up with two adoring parents; never knowing the hollow pang of abandonment or vicious backhand of reject. It was an admittedly attractive look on the blonde but her mind also repelled against it. Regina thought the would-be princess was better suited to the tight denim and chic leather that she normally wore.

And as selfish as it maybe, she preferred the scrappy sheriff to this polished princess. The Emma, not of the enchanted realm, held herself with a similar assuredness as the one before her, but there was an element of darkness to it. Regina knew it was a strength hard won. Her confidence didn't come from any shiny silver armor forged for her by the royal blacksmith, rather built from her numerous defeats with victories few and far between as she had to prove herself time and time again in an unkind, unforgiving world. It wasn't infallible but she would stand back up every time. The evil queen recognized this, knowing it intimately as it was the same way she earned her power. So she would choose the true Emma Swan with scrapes and scars and doubts that in many ways complimented her own.

Emma answered her questions calmly, "You wanted to show me something."

Having lost her self to thought, Regina could only reply with surprise, "I did?"

"Yeah, come on." She turned and went into the gray light outside, compelling Regina to follow. They walked up the grassy knoll, the blonde leading the way despite her declaration that the queen had something to show her. Looking out at the pastures, she could feel a twinge of joy that she remember from before all the tragedy struck; it now loomed over the fields like the gray rain clouds, tainting her memories. Regina reminisced with an idle tone. "This is where I saved your mother's life. I chased down her runaway horse, stopped them before they could crash or end in a deadly fall."

Emma's eyes trail the tree line with bland interest, "Has it changed a lot since then?"

"No." Regina said as they came to the top of the hill. "It's barely changed at all. This, however, is new."

At the crest, underneath a dormant apple tree, lay a black and white swirled marble marker. An ornate design of ivy with swoops and intricate leaves was etched into the stone, along with an emblazoned red heart at the center. The blonde stared somewhat blankly at the slab, "Is that a…"

"A grave? Yes." She said snappishly.

"Who's grave is it?" The other woman asked. The brunette was incensed that this savior would have no idea from whom the memorial represented, anger rolled up inside her like an incoming tide.

"His name was Daniel." She glowered then somewhat more faintly, "He was the love of my life."

"How did he die?" Emma blinked with confusion.

Regina decided she hated this mild manner and insipid shadow of the savior. "He died because Snow White couldn't keep her mouth shut. She promised to keep my secret but she lied. She told my mother of my plans to escape with Daniel."

She snarled at the woman, though much to her dissatisfaction she remained unfettered, calmly saying. "She was very young-"

"My mother ripped his heart out because of her. Because she couldn't listen to me!" The evil queen didn't let her finish the argument, shouting her grief at her still stoic companion. Emma nodded in a vague motion of understanding. "I'm sorry you lost him. It must be very difficult."

"Ha!" A short, bitter laugh jumped from her throat. "You couldn't possibly begin to understand. But your mother will soon enough."

"Is that what that is?" Emma's gaze fell to Regina's hands. Looking down, Regina discovered she was holding the lustrous red apple, almost extending it out to the younger woman. She couldn't even recall removing it from the small satchel.

"This?" She suddenly felt perplexed. The apple was not for Emma. She drew it back protectively, nearly cradling it to her chest. "This is just a morsel."

"What will it do? Will it kill me?" She didn't sound particularly scared at the idea just vaguely interested.

"No, much worse. Your body will be your tomb and you'll be in there with nothing but dreams formed of your own regrets." Regina detailed its sinister purpose, almost preening with the perfection of her plot.

"Will it make you happy if I eat it?" Emma asked, casually plucking the fruit from her hand, rolling it between her palms.

The queen gaped at her, stunned by her audacity. Then the rage came spewing out, "You think you can break my curse and bring back the happy endings? I will never let you or your idiotic, martyring parents have true love if I can't have mine."

"Come on Regina, you really think I know anything about breaking the curse? This?" She gestured to her knightly attire complete with a broad sword slung around her hips. "You know this isn't me. I'm not a hero in a storybook. Did you ever think maybe I was just a person trying to do the right thing? That maybe I just cared about you?"

"You- you can't. It can't be true." A low buzz filled her mind, setting her on edge and making her heart pound rapidly. The once familiar surrounds shifted so it felt flattened like stage set; the sky and tree in the distance just a cloth backdrop, the grass brittle like plastic, and Daniel's headstone appeared like a gaudy imitation.

"It doesn't have to be like this." Emma's voice sounded muffled. Regina's eyes snapped up to the other woman still fiddling with the apple. She found that even she looked different, taller and broader. Her face smoothed of any imperfection and her blond hair an iridescent white.

"There is no other way for it to be." Regina said with resigned melancholy.

"Yes there is." The princess spoke gently. "Just think about it, okay?"

Nothing made sense. They weren't supposed to be here. Emma wasn't supposed to be here. The world around them descended into inky blackness, leaving them spotlighted in the middle of nowhere. Panic seized the queen's throat as she felt herself immobilized by an unseen force. She could do nothing to stop what was unfolding. Emma reiterated, "Think about it."

Then she raised the apple to her mouth, taking a bite of the sweet fruit. She swallowed her oddly too-green eyes never leaving Regina's until suddenly they slipped shut. She collapsed to her knees before falling completely on the ground with a sickening thud. While the Evil Queen could do nothing but watch in horror.

"No!" A choked cry fell from Regina's lips as she ripped herself from the dream.

The brunette sat up quickly, panting lightly as she regained her senses. Her subconscious had apparently decided to start reeking havoc on her, though she desperately wanted to ignore it. It didn't help that the strangely ominous smell of baked apple filled her home.

After dismissing her errand boy, she made quick work of the newly procured poison apple. Slicing away the bite mark and chopping it to small pieces, adding brown sugar, cinnamon, and butter. Methodically kneading the dough and rolling it out into a thin sheet, Regina spooned the apple mixture onto it. Expertly, she folded the dough over and cutting away the excess, she crimped the edges sealing in the deadly delicious concoction. Baking seemed an all too simple solution for a problem of her magnitude but when your enemy has a sweet tooth it was the natural thing to do Regina had mused as she place the pastry in the hot oven.

She wandered away from the kitchen with a feeling of satisfaction, though the high of her soon-to-be victory rapidly diminished. Unease seeped into her mind and her stomach churned uncomfortably as she fidgeted uncharacteristically about her house before landing in her study. The mayor placed herself on the leather couch with a glass of whiskey to wait out the duration of the cook time. The alcohol soothed her to an extent and the night of fitful sleep caught up to her as she found she had drifted off to sleep. The moment of unconscious proved not to be a reprieve as she dreamed yet another hallucination starring the ubiquitous Emma Swan.

Images of the blonde strayed across her thoughts, most dismayingly the image of her crumbled form, pallid and unmoving. Against her wishes, Regina had dropped to her side and gathered the fallen body into her arms, crying out for the woman to wake up until it all erupted in the anguished 'no' that fiercely woke her. She tried to push away the pictures, instead tried to remember the crushing feeling of Daniel fade away in her arms but that pain was just an echo of the earth shattering feeling of Emma cold and limp in her grasp. She shuddered. She took gulping breaths and the last dreg of her drink to calm down. Rationality was resettling over her when the doorbell rang sharply.

She snapped to attention, her automatically spine elongating and tousling her hair back into place. Running her hands self-consciously down her crispy white button to her black slacks, she stood on timid feet as if cautious to approach the door. A cursory glance in the hall mirror assured she did not look disheveled and so she gathered her confidence and went to answer the door.

Regina tugged the brass knob with conviction but still she was not prepared for the sight of Emma Swan standing brazenly on her porch clad in her signature red leather jacket, zipped neatly to her chin as if a sheath of armor. She looked tired yet prepared for something monumental; the brunette barely noticed though. She only cared how beautifully alive the other woman looked, the relief at seeing her bright if somewhat wary eyes lifted the veil of her dark dream.

"We need to talk." Emma's comment brought her back to reality. Realizing she had been blatantly staring, Regina cleared her throat.

"Yes, I imagine we do. I was just about to call you." She stepped aside to allow Emma entrance. "Come right in."

The blonde steeled herself and strode into her home as if she were diving into a cold pool, quickly and before she could change her mind. Letting the door click shut behind her, the mayor keenly watched Emma ascend the small staircase to the above landing. She very much appreciated the way Emma's skirt clung to her hips and imagined sliding her hands under the garment. She hated how much she still wanted the other woman. The distance she placed between them after the fall out aided in her denial but with the blonde within arms length she was nearly consumed with her presence. Her eyes raked over her strong slender frame as she followed her footsteps. As Emma turned to face her, Regina covered her obvious gawking by with a condescending remark, "Do what you're so skilled at and make yourself at home."

Emma hardly reacted to the barb, actually averting her gaze to look at her riding boots, shuffling awkwardly in the foyer her bravado seemed to have faltered. Regina reminded her sharply, "I believe you came to see me."

Green eyes snapped up and she took a deep breath before beginning. "Right, look. This isn't easy. I think that this… whatever it is between us needs to end."

It was a loaded sentiment. Their affair had abruptly ended a while ago, barring the one back slide in the sheriff's station. Now it marred her thoughts like a broken down car sitting on the front lawn, unmovable and unlikely to be fixed anytime soon. Whatever had been blossoming between them shriveled up and left only the thorns for them to prick each other with. Still she could not deny there was more than anger behind the heated looks and arguments that they exchanged. The complexity of everything, the hate and desire at constant odds with each other was exhausting yet Regina wanted to dig her fingers in and hold on because it was better than the alternative of letting Ms. Swan go; having something with Emma was better than nothing she was realizing.

Despite this she found herself saying, "At last, something we can agree on."

Emma swallowed, her face pinched with desperation. "I want to make a deal with you about Henry."

"I'm not making any deals with you." She instinctively refused.

Then Emma declared like it was her last card to play, "I'm leaving town."

Her stomach dropped unpleasantly. "What?"

"This… what we are doing is a problem. And I'm going to go." The blonde spoke choppily like it was difficult to summon up the next word. Regina felt as if she was slipping further and further down into a dark pit as she continued. "But I have conditions. I still get to see Henry. I get to visit and spend time, whatever."

"And you get to see him. You're still in his life." Regina said bitterly. She would still be in Regina's life though just barely. It would be a stilted conversation at Granny's or a brief waved from a yellow bug when she came to visit. Mostly the blonde would just be gone, leaving her and Henry to grow more distant, more withdrawn, more resentful. Then Henry would be old enough to leave Storybrooke on his own, and she would never need to come back at all. Her son would not need to come back, not with his real mother out there in the world were things grew and changed. He may decide that it really was childish to believe in fairytale nonsense. He would ask Emma if she remembered his outlandish fantasies and they would laugh, while Regina sat alone in her mansion just as she sat alone in her palace with darkness descending around her.

"Look, in any deal, both parties are a little unhappy. But let's be honest, we both know the world where I'm not in his life no longer exists. And there's no one who can do anything about that." The sheriff, or soon-to-be ex-sheriff, spoke with grave certainty. A tense silence hummed between them. Regina flexed her fingers, a nervous habit from a time when she could make magic dance from them. She geared up for a fight.

And then a faint ding of the timer sounded from the kitchen like the cartoonish bell of an idea popping to mind. Regina recalled her solution simmering away and managed a small smile. "You're right."

To Emma's credit she did her best not to look completely bowled over by her sudden amiability. Regina gestured to the back of the house. "Would you mind following me for a moment?"

Once in the kitchen, the brunette busied herself with removing the perfectly golden brown pastry from the oven, letting the banal, domestic task calm her. "So what are you proposing?"

"I don't know." The other woman shrugged. "I thought we'd just figure it out as we go. I think after some time apart we may have better perspective."

She resisted the urge to criticize the rather lackluster plan. Did she think that she would alternate Thanksgivings and Christmases? Instead she set aside the hot tray and turned to square off with Emma. "But he's my son."

It was like an assertion of her victory. She waited as her opponent hesitated before conceding her feeble defeat. "Yeah."

She turned to go but Regina was not done with this battle. She called out gently tugging her back into her web. "Oh, Ms. Swan."

She pulled out a to-go container. "Maybe a little something for the road?"

Emma blinked once, watching Regina spatula the flaky dessert into the Tupperware. "Thanks."

"If we are going to be in each other's lives it's time we start being cordial." The lid clicked into place. "My famous turnovers, old recipe, but delicious."

The queen felt the echo of her dream, extending the apple to the savior and her innocent question ' _will it make you happy if I eat it?_ ' Emma looked at her with sad and intense eyes that openly traced her face and the curves of her body. It was a look of longing and could-have-been. It spoke of goodbye and it happened to be the only thing keeping her from snatching away tainted treat because the brunette refused to relinquish her from their twisted game. Under indefinite slumber, the savior would remain, perhaps in the very hospital bed where her father had lain comatose. Regina imagined sitting at her bedside and admiring the unchanging blonde curls and long lashes that lay softly against pale skin; her own personal sleeping beauty. Finally Emma ended her reverie and simply said. "Thank you."

The words were heavier with meaning than pure gratitude for a homemade dessert. Regina curled her lips in a too-sweet smile. "I do hope you like apples."

Emma nodded, moving to take her leave. Regina followed, asking conversationally as she escorted her unwitting victim to the exit. "Where will you go? Back to Boston?"

"You're leaving?" An alarmed voice startled them both as their eyes flashed to Henry having just walked into the home.


	22. A Goodbye Kiss

"Emma, I'm sorry but you don't have a case for custody."

"Even after everything she has done?" The blonde had cornered Archie at Granny's where he normally had his afternoon cup of coffee. She had gone straight there after methodically showering and dressing; doing her makeup and hair with more precision than she normally would for an ordinary day. But the day didn't really feel ordinary. She couldn't explain it but she felt something brewing.

"Which you can't prove." Dr. Hopper pointed out unhelpfully. "Let me ask you a question. With this war raging on, who is really getting hurt here?"

A war she didn't ask for. "I know. Henry. But isn't it a good thing he is spending time with me? I'm his mother."

"Yes you are. And so is Regina." He then more hesitantly added, "And look, the court is going to come in and see how he's been since you've come into his life."

"And he's been happier, right?" Her voice tripped up an octave.

"Maybe. I mean objectively? He's skipped school, stolen a credit card, he's run off, and he's endangered himself repeatedly. And so in the eyes of the law it's not so-"

Emma closed her eyes against his words in dismay. He was acting like she had when she was a child. She cut him off to ask. "What about in your eyes? What do you think?"

"A while ago I told you to engage him in his fantasy life and- and perhaps I was wrong because he's only retreated further into it."

"You think he's better off with her?" Something inside her fractured a little more.

"I never said that." His vague therapist statements were getting on her nerves.

"Do you think that she would ever hurt him?" It was a question she already knew the answer to but she needed to hear him say it.

"No. Never. I mean everyone else but not him. Look, right or wrong, all of her actions have been defensive. I'm not judging but in many ways your arrival has woken a sleeping dragon."

In her mind she separated the malicious, vindictive mayor and her actions from the woman she'd gotten to know as they indulged in pleasure that faded to midnight conversations. Her anger receded and all she felt was longing. "Tell me honestly, has he been better of since I got here?"

"Oh, it's not a matter of better off. It's a matter of this war has to end if you two are going to be in his life. You have to figure out the best way to do that."

Emma braced herself for what she had to do.

/

All her life Emma had been on the run, running from her past, running from the law, running with Neil, running from herself. So when a 10-year-old boy showed up at her doorstep and dragged her to a sleepy little town in Maine, she had been ready to head for the hills. Staying was supposed to be temporary until she was sure that Henry truly was all right. It was fair to say she had always loved him in an abstract way, giving him up to a better home she felt was a testament to that love. Over the last few months however Emma had absolutely fallen _in love_ with him. With his easy smile and huge imagination and brave, kind heart, the blonde found she could not give him up again.

When she strolled up the walkway to the immaculate Mills residence it was with a rebelling heart, thudding angrily in her chest to not follow through with her decision. After much deliberation she came to the only conclusion she could, to leave Storybrooke. For as much as she had fallen for Henry, she had equally fallen for his mother. The gorgeous and contrary mayor of the town had taken her heart and not given it back. While Emma had avoided thinking about her source of pain for as long as she could she finally admitted to herself that this hurt wasn't over a silly little crush that had rejected her. She was unequivocally in love with Regina.

The heartache that blossomed from her refusal had Emma spiraling in anger, causing her act rashly and dangerously like a wounded and wild animal. It needed to stop. Emma needed space and time to heal in order to be rational otherwise she would continue to ruin the people and things around her. It wouldn't be goodbye forever, she reminded herself. She vowed that she would keep Henry in her life and shockingly as she conversed the terms with Regina, she had sincerely agreed.

The brunette had an odd calmness to her like she knew something Emma did not. She couldn't trust her judgment in regards to her son's mother anymore though and filed it away. All of her focus was driven into moving forward as Regina escorted her to the front door.

"Where will you go? Back to Boston?" She was about to answer affirmatively to Regina's question when the women were interrupted by the shrill voice of a child.

"You're leaving?" Henry stood in the foyer still saddled with her backpack from school; his eyes wide with alarm, mouth turned down in a disapproving frown that eerily resembled Regina's.

Emma took a few halting steps toward him. "Henry. I was going to call you later to tell you… But I have to go."

"Leave Storybrooke?" He asked incredulously.

"Yeah, but I spoke to Regina and we made a deal. I'm still going to be able to see you just not every day." The words were bitter in her mouth. A generic line she had heard from apathetic voices of the other children's biological parents, said around a cigarette and with one foot out the door. This was not a false promise though.

"No." He said forcefully, not caring that his mother practically stood just over her shoulder. "No you can't trust her."

"I have to. It's my only choice. It's what's best for you Henry. Every time I fight her." Emma looked back at Regina who was standing stoically behind them, strangely silent, with her arms crossed tight over her middle. "Every time we fight, someone else gets hurt… I'm tired of getting hurt."

"No, no, no!" He shook his head. "You're just scared. It happens to all heroes, it's just the low moment before you fight back."

"Henry! This isn't a story." Her voice cracked with admonishment and sorrow as she fought back tears. She needed him to see that his belief was becoming a serious delusion. She knelt to his height, taking his small hand and pleading. "This is reality and things have to change. You can't skip school. You can't talk about your mom like this. You can't run away and you can't believe in curses."

The last of her requests struck him hard. With disappointed dawning, he asked, "You really don't believe?"

"I-" Emma could not bring herself to confirm his worst fear. Instead telling him gently with a tear drop threatening to roll down her cheek, "This is how is has to be right now. I made a deal and I used my super power. She's telling the truth. She's going to take really good care of you."

"Yes, but she wants you dead." He said petulantly.

"Come on Henry!" She rose to her full height, wiping at her face in frustration. "What did I just say?"

Henry stubbornly continued. "You're the _only one_ that can stop her."

"Stop her from what? All she's ever done is fight for you." The truth of her statement gave him pause, a spotlight suddenly shown on the fact that he refused to acknowledge. His mother, for better or worse, truly wanted him, loved him. Emma sighed heavily. "This just got out of hand. I'm sorry."

His brown eyes shone up into hers imploringly but she could only give him an apologetic shrug. Out of arguments she could see his determination receding, then he flung himself at her, wrapping around her torso with a painful ferocity. Her breathing hitched. Emma wrapped her arms around him in return, just at tight, relishing in his unending warmth, drawing in his light scent of soap and cedar. She tired to remember everything about his embrace, not knowing when she would next be able to see him.

"What is that?" Henry was pulling away as he noticed her plastic take away box.

"Regina gave it to me." She held it up so he could better see the still cooling turnover.

He sniffed the warm spiced air suspiciously. "Apple!"

"So?"

"You can't eat that. It's poison!" He exclaimed.

"Don't be ridiculous Henry." Her patience wore thin. "It's not poisoned."

"I'll prove it to you." He reached for the container but Emma twisted it out of his grasp.

"No, _I'll_ prove it to you." She pried the lid up and the smell of fresh baked apples and cinnamon grew stronger. Emma's mouth watered as an overwhelming hunger took hold. It looked so good she had to take a bite.

"Don't!" Henry made another grab for it but she was quicker, holding it above her head and out of his reach. He made a few pitiful jumps for it, his zippers jingling like warning bells with every small leap. Emma scarcely noticed, her eyes fixated on the pastry warm in her hand. Holding off the struggling boy with one arm, she brought the apple turnover nearly to her lips. Henry's cries for her to 'stop' and 'please don't do it' fell on deaf ears. One bite, that was all she wanted…

"No!" Regina's voice erupted through her conscious. She sounded different than Emma had ever heard her; strangled with panic and terror as if the single word crawled desperately from her throat. Emma and Henry froze and stared in wonder at the other woman.

Regina, who had faded into the background of their conversation, interjected herself with sudden vehemence as she came at them. She seized the contested baked good and turned away immediately, her heels clipping at a manic pace across the hardwood floor. The stunned pair watched her disappearing for a moment before hurrying after her bewildered. They stopped in the doorway of the mayor's home office in time to see Regina throw the turnover into a smoldering fire. The hot coals licked flames over the golden crust, releasing the smell of sweet apples, then the acrid smell of char and smoke took over. It sizzled and popped as the fire consumed it greedily. The brunette stood with her hands gripping the mantle and shoulders lifting with every drawn breath, staring at the dying yellow flames.

The trio remained unmoving like time stood still. Emma could not comprehend what was unfolding in front of her. The answer seemed plainly in front of her face but her brain stayed empty, only filled with a numbing white noise. Henry stepped forward apprehensively, "Mom?"

As he uttered her title, she spun and looked at them. Disquieting, unshed tears sat glassily over her eyes and her painted red lips quivered, almost unperceivable. Regina strode the short distance to stand in front of her son. She cleared her throat but her voice still came out groveled with emotion. "Henry. The book, please."

"No…" But he lacked the conviction from moments earlier, clearly thrown by his mother's subdued demeanor.

"I'm done fighting Henry. Please give me the book."

Henry slowly lowered his oddly square backpack to the ground and produced the old, large tome of fairytales that her carried around with such devotion. He passed it to her with a somber expression like they were performing an ancient ceremony. She tucked it under her arm and gave him a wavering smile but she couldn't maintain it. She leaned down, fondly brushing the fringe that always lay haphazardly on his forehead into a neat section. She told him with earnest sincerity the struck Emma in the heart, "No matter what you think, no matter what anyone tells you, I do love you."

He gazed at her like a confused puppy trying to figure out her real meaning, what trick up her sleeve this would lead to next. But if the boy had a fraction of Emma's intuition for the truth, he would easy see that Regina had ulterior motives, no manipulation in the declaration. She was just a mother who loved her son. Regina straightened up and ordered, "Go wait outside by the gate."

"But-"

"Henry, please. Just do as your told." Her normally authoritative tone came out flat and tired. "Go wait outside. You'll understand everything shortly."

Henry shuffled out of the room with no further objection. He nervously tried to catch Emma's eye as he passed but her sight was riveted on Regina. The brunette kept eye contact with her; dark irises were pools of unhappiness that Emma sunk into. They stood and listened at Henry's footsteps receded, an unspoken agreement to wait for the boy to be out of hearing range. Emma finally heard the click of the front door shutting, and then took a few tentative steps forward. She broke the silence, her voice quavering, "What the hell is going on Regina?"

"Henry… Henry is right."

"Right about what?" Fear crept into her like cold fingers trailing up her spine.

"The turnover it's-" She stopped short unable to complete the sentence but Emma easily inferred.

"You poisoned the-" Then her mind went blank with white, hot rage. Emma charged the other woman, shoving her roughly against the wall. Picture frames rattled on the wall with the force, one slipping off its nail and clattering harshly to the ground, the delicate tinkling sound of glass breaking punctuated its fall. Regina didn't protest the abuse. She let Emma pin her in place, her forearm braced across her chest and her hand gripped the collar of her shirt, crumpling the fine white fabric. In the midst of her anger, Emma felt something like relief flood her body at having Regina in such close proximity. After all of the time spent banished from the mayor, the younger woman still craved her, like a person needing an oasis in the desert. She tamped down the feeling, refocusing on the spitting anger, and growled. "Henry could have eaten that!"

"I wouldn't have let him." Regina shook her head vigorously, horrified at the notion.

"But you would have let me?" Emma asked blind to the fact Regina had actually stopped her from consuming the dessert. "What is in it? Arsenic? Draino?"

"No." Regina shifted uncomfortably underneath her. "It isn't poison… It's cursed."

"What?" She jerked away. The released woman stumbled slightly without the pressure of Emma bearing down on her.

Regina touched the collar of her shirt to straighten it and ran her fingers through her hair. After taking the moment to compose herself she explained with no trace of deceit. "The apple I made it with. It's a magic apple with a sleeping curse."

The blond blinked, suddenly her pulse thudded loudly in her ears. "Don't- stop messing around Regina."

"I'm not. I'm sorry but I'm not. Henry is right about everything." She stepped toward her but Emma matched her with a wary step backwards. Taking the fairy tales that had still been wedged awkwardly under her arm, she clasped it in both hands looking disdainfully at the volume. "All the stories in here are true for the most part. They are over-simplified and trite but based off of real people, things that really happened."

"You can't be serious." The denial bubbled up helplessly inside her.

Regina confessed with absolute resolution. "I'm the Evil Queen. I cast the curse that brought everyone here to Storybrooke."

"Regina stop-" Her protests were becoming weaker.

"And you. You are…" The other woman looked at her mournfully, brow wrinkled with sorrow and lips twisted with anguish, a perfect portrait of pain. Holding out the book as if it were the rest of her unfinished sentence she said, "Take it."

Gradually Emma's hands ventured to the book, sliding over the dusty leather covering, her fingers curling around the worn edges. As she accepted the full weight of it, visions like rapidly passing dreams flashed before her eyes; hazy images of a woman who looked like Mary Margret with long flowing lock whispering to a newborn baby, David dressed ridiculously as a knight and brandishing a sword, the baby crying in an elaborately carved wardrobe and someone softly calling out 'find us.' Emma dropped the book; it's pages rustling indignantly at the improper treatment before thumping soundly to the Persian rug below. She pointed accusingly at the stagnant object as if it were a live vicious thing about to attack. "What was that?"

"You're remembering. You see it's true." Regina said quietly.

It was all happening too fast. Minutes ago she had been waving her flag of surrender, ready to hightail it out of town and now… The present became too abstract. Like she was looking at a splatter painting and trying to figure out which way was right side up. They only thing that anchored her was Regina standing before, elegant and beautiful as ever even with the inexplicable heartbreak marring her features. Emma stuttered. "I don't- I don't understand. What am I supposed to do?"

"Go with Henry. Figure out how to break the curse. I won't fight you anymore." She vowed.

"Why?" Emma's green eyes pleaded for clarity. "Why now?"

"I- I just want you to be happy." Regina professed, her words hitching with the force of her feelings.

There seemed a paragraph of silence as they regarded each other, Emma taking in her statement. She felt as though the air swirled around them, creating a cyclone that urged them together. The sensation was not at all unfamiliar as she constantly resisted being pulled to Regina. But here she had never felt it so acutely, like trying to hold her breath for too long, all her cells screaming for her take in another breath of desperately needed air, they now screamed for her to fall into the other woman, for them to fall into each other.

Regina ended the standoff, cautiously approaching the blonde. Emma didn't retreat this time, instead advancing as well, the two women drawing nearer and nearer to each other until they were practically touching. Regina raised her hand, bringing it to caress Emma's cheek then sliding back so her fingers rested against the back of her neck, gently hooking into her skin. Her face inched closer. The thundering sound of Emma's palpitating heart faded and her breathing steadied to a calm rhythm as she watched the emotions ripple through the captivating dark eyes, at the center sadness and expanding wider came a little fear, then adoration and desire. She was mesmerized. Regina tightened her grip, as if Emma would slip away, whispering earnestly, "Please just go be happy."

Then finally rose petal lips descended to hers in a perfect, tender kiss. The stormy apprehension that had plagued them dissipated, replaced with the feathery feeling of relief and elation. Emma pressed her lips more firmly into the kiss her hand coming up to comb through short, silky locks of hair. Suddenly an odd, visceral sensation, like a seismic force seemed to emit from wherever the two women touched. If Emma's eyes hadn't slipped shut she would have seen a bright ring of spectral light push out of their embrace, forcing itself outward, ever expanding to graze over all of Storybrooke. The blonde pulled back startled slightly, "What was that?"

Regina looked astonished, "The spell. I think it's broken."

"How?" Emma asked surprised now herself.

"Our kiss…" Regina drew out the words pensively.

Both women paused to consider the implications of this. But as if they agreed simultaneously, the women abandoned any form of concrete thought to bring their lips joyfully back together. Like a damn that broke, they kissed with a flood of stored up passion and longing that had been building behind a wall of stubbornness for months. Ruby red lipstick smeared against soft pink lips like they were claiming the territory with vibrant dashes of color. Regina brought her other hand up to mirror the hold of the other, cradling her head with lavish affection; while the blonde wrapped an arm around her waist to bring their bodies flush together eliciting relieved moans from both. Emma flicked her tongue out, first tasting the saccharine waxy flavor of Regina's lipstick followed by the headier sweetness of her tongue like the spices in mulled wine and an October afternoon.

Regina met her tongue with her own, enthusiastically dipping in to taste her then skirting away teasingly then again and again. Emma smirked slightly into the kiss that was exactly as she imagined and then so much more. Regina gently sucked her lower lip, calling her back to pay attention. Emma recommitted to the ardent kiss, losing herself to the undulating motions that both soothed and sent pleasure blazing through her.

/

Unbeknownst to the two women wrapped up in their heated embrace, miles away, a man with an impish grin and impeding limp climbed diligently up an overgrown path to a nearly forgotten wishing well.

His plan had been waiting patiently on a shelf, posing among a myriad of useless bauble as an over-priced decorative egg that no one had spared a glance at except maybe to note it's gaudy, ridiculous appearance, which was exactly what he had intended.

Now that the curse was broken, Mr. Gold finally could unleash the secret within the vessel. He tipped the egg carelessly into the well, a satisfying splash ending its descent. For a moment nothing happened, and then his grin deepened to maniacal and purple smoke began to plume from the small abyss of the well.

Magic was coming to Storybrooke.


	23. Waking the Dragon

"Emma! Mom!" Henry's voice rang through the house urgently. "Mom!"

Fortunately he didn't come bounding in, instead shouting from the front door. Otherwise he would have found his mothers in a very compromising position. The women jumped apart as it took a moment for the world to return to around them. Emma slowly remembered that the window was not just a solid square of light nothing rather there were trees and houses, roads and people existing just outside. Regina moved first, pushing the color back into the lines of her lips and propelling herself to Henry with long determined strides. Emma vigorously wiped her mouth with the back of her hand to erase the evidence as she hurried after Regina. They found him hanging the top half of his slight frame through the open door.

"Henry what is it?" Regina asked her eyes expertly scanning for any sign of injury but finding him wholly fine.

"Yeah, what's wrong kid?"

"The curse is broken." He exclaimed with unbridled delight. "People are coming out and remembering!"

"Yeah, we know." Emma said awkwardly, hoping to skip over exactly how that happened and still not entirely certain what was actually happening. "But what is with the hysterics?"

"Something is coming." He disappeared outside prompting them to follow. Henry ran straight out of the little picket fence to the street, stopping in the middle, and pointing off into the distance. "Look!"

Emma noted the people who had wandered from their homes with dazed expressions of people having woken up from a long afternoon nap. They murmured indistinctly and stared off into the direction that Henry indicated. Regina stood next to her son, following his line of sight. Emma stared in incomprehension at the scene before her. Slightly elevated, they could see the quaint little shops and houses that congregated together to form Storybrooke and a large purple cloud billowed from the stocky hilltops that flanked the north end of town. It continued to blossom and grow, the lilac and plum cascading ominously down the hillside and into town. Emma watched it plowing forward with blatant disregard for the buildings in its path. It overtook the clock tower peaking through the neighborhood trees, steadily looming closer.

"What is that?" Emma found herself tired of the particular question.

"Something bad." Henry intoned.

"No, it's magic." Regina said enthralled. The voluminous smoke now reached the end of the block showing no signs of slowing.

"What- what will it do to us?" Trepidation gathered heavily in her stomach, like weighted marble dropping into a cloth sack.

Now fear registered with Regina, "I don't know."

"Well brace yourself." She realized it would be futile to run, rush of purple nearly upon them. Regina wrapped herself protectively around Henry, the young boy turned into his mother's chest. Emma impulsively stepped in front of them as the unfurling smoke consumed them.

Next thing Emma knew she was doubled over on her knees. Her vision doubled as she attempted to focus on her palms that tingled as if sand pouring over them and emitted a vibrating white light. Disoriented, Emma shook her head at the thought. Her hands couldn't glow. When she looked again, she could see more clearly and the bizarre feeling had ebbed. Her hands comforting looked like they always did. Adrenaline still fled through her, similar to a startled flock of birds making her feel jittery. She shakily got to her feet, determined to be all right and check on the others, "You guys okay?"

Finding Henry and Regina, she assessed the pair. Henry appeared relatively unaffected though he was gaping at her in an unsettling manner. Regina looked less steady than her son but hadn't been floored like Emma had been and was quickly regaining her senses and flexing her fingers experimentally. Ignoring her question Henry excitedly barreled toward her, "Emma! You have magic!"

"Magic?" She asked dumbly.

"Yeah, you were glowing all over. It was so cool!" He bounced around a little.

"So cool." Emma parroted him mindlessly but looked at Regina for some clarification.

"You're the product of true love, the most powerful magic of all. It would stand to reason that you yourself would possess magical abilities."

"Okay…"

"Something is happening at the clock tower!" Emma didn't have time to process as a gruff and panting voice came trailing up the road, pulling all their attention to Leroy who jogged, or perhaps more accurately lumbered, toward them at a painfully slow pace. He stopped before them, hands falling to his knees as he fought to drag air into his lungs.

Regina snapped impatiently, "What is happening at the clock tower?"

The winded herald sucked in more oxygen and continued laboriously, "There is some crazy broad with a sword making a scene. She is calling for you."

He made a fatigued gesture toward Regina. A flicker of concern flashed across her face then the icy imperious glare of a queen settled back over her features. Feeling trouble brewing, Emma declared, "Sounds like a job for the sheriff. Regina come me and we'll go check it out. Henry you stay here with Leroy."

"Actual its Grumpy." He corrected her, his wheezing coming under control.

"Right…" She did not have time to deal with that revelation. "Let's go."

Without a glance back, she marched to her yellow steed and climbed in behind the wheel, Regina wordlessly sliding into the passenger seat beside her. The car grumbled to life, a few brusque snorts sputtering from the muffler, before galloping off to battle.

/

"Do you know who it is?" Emma asked abruptly.

Regina had been vacantly staring out the window, thoughts passing through her mind as quickly as the passing scenes outside. The old yellow Volkswagen rumbled down the street with the women sitting in contemplative silence until Emma posed her question. Regina cleared her throat, "I have a good idea."

"Great, care to share with the group?"

"I'm not sure you would believe me if I told you." Regina said dryly.

"Well, you're right about that. I find this whole thing unbelievable." Emma swept her arm dramatically. To be fair, the queen also was having a difficult time keeping up with the events that unfolded before them. Her thoughts namely whirled around the kiss she had shared with the Savior only moments ago, the kiss that started the earth spinning once again. It wasn't just an improbability that it happened, it should have been an impossibility for them to share True Love's kiss and yet here they were on the other side of her broken curse. However that thought was nowhere near as jarring as the fact that she kept circling back to the idea of kissing Ms. Swan again.

They took a sharp left onto the main street, tires shrieking resentfully in protest at the unexpected movement. Regina would have rebuked her driving skills but Emma kept a stream of her own litany of criticisms flowing out, "You're telling me we're all from some magical land with unicorns and fairies and I just left our son with Grumpy, as in Grumpy from Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, not Leroy the town drunk."

"Well he still may be a drunk." Regina said sarcastically.

"Not helping Regina." She said, shooting her a jade-razor glare.

"Look out!" The mayor shouted and Emma stamped on the breaks, tires again squealing at the abuse. Traffic had stopped, cars sitting in the middle of the road and people getting out to gawk at whatever or whoever waited beyond the circle they created.

"For Christ sake." Emma glowered. She reached for her glove box, the small compartment dropping open to reveal her holstered service weapon and badge, two items she had yet to surrender despite her plans to vacate town. Nabbing both, Emma flung open her car door and exited to make the rest of the short journey on foot. Regina followed close behind in the widening path Emma stomped out as she flashed her badge and put on her best cop voice. "Out of the way folks, official Sheriff's business. Please step back."

Regina heard the woman before she saw her. A rasping, crawling voice like decades of smoke were trapped in her throat fumed, "Come out, come out wherever you are. Come on Regina, no use in hiding. I've a score to settle! Regina!"

As they broke through the small crowd, Emma faltered, Regina running into her at her loss of momentum. The blonde uttered a soft, "Whoa."

She peered over her shoulder at the picture before them. In front of the boarded up library, a woman, amidst her rabid barking, paced back and forth in the street dragging behind her a gleaming sword across the asphalt, a metallic scrapping droned with the sound of her voice. She wore dark robes, tattered and dusted with soot and ash. Atop her head, sat a black crown of two coiled horns, appearing as if it were seamlessly attached to her skull. All of which looked extremely out of place in Storybrooke and yet it was the face that bore the warning of something decidedly nefarious.

Her skin was a pallid green and flecks of black and purple scales framed her eyes that glowed a dim yellow. Her mouth and nose seemed to jut farther out than any normal humans should, nearly like a pointed reptilian snout. Regina maneuvered around Emma who remained stalled out at the sight she took in. Facing the seething beast, she coolly interrupted her tirade. "Hello Maleficent."

The deformed woman turned on her heel to them, her lips pulling back in a grim smile that horrifically showed a row of daggered teeth. Her ire evaporated as she politely greeted Regina, though her voice still crackled like a crocodile welcoming her guests to afternoon tea. "Regina, you look well. Your curse has done wonders for you."

"I can't say the same for you Mal." Regina replied starkly. "You're looking a little long in the tooth."

"And whose fault is that? It's difficult to make the change when you've been a dragon for 28 years." Maleficent literally snarled, her congenial pretense dropped in an instant.

Regina said with a shrug, "It's not my fault you weren't in human form when the curse hit. I couldn't really have a dragon flying around Maine, could I?"

"Dragon?" Emma asked dubiously. "Did you say dragon?"

"Ah, and who might this be?" She didn't wait for a response as she went on condescendingly. "Prince Charming's eyes. Snow White's chin. Why if it isn't our very own Savior? I imagined you taller… Still, nice to make your acquaintance."

"Likewise I'm sure." Emma gave her the flippant reply then whispered harshly to Regina, "Where the hell have you been keeping a dragon?"

Regina summarized for her, "Caverns underneath the old library. I had her chained there, mostly out of necessity but there was no love lost. We've had our differences in the Enchanted Forest. Looks like when magic was released, she could transform herself back, sort of, and escape."

"Well what does she want?"

"You know it's rude ignore people." Maleficent disrupted their sidebar. "And what I _want_ is to kill the Evil Queen. Then perhaps everyone else in this retched land."

"I'd like to see you try." The brunette concentrated summoning her magic, feeling the high frequency that made her bones hum and her fingers heavy with atoms.

"Careful what you wish for your Majesty." She cautioned darkly.

"You wanted the Evil Queen. Then that is who you will get." Regina felt the arch of energy dancing across her palm. Drawing back her arm, the magic taut in her muscles like an archer bow, she propelled her arm forward to thrust the magic from her limb. But nothing manifested, the kinetic feeling fizzled out falling short of her fingertips.

"Shit."

A howling laughter filled the intersection, reverberating off the buildings creating a choir of one singing out with cruel glee. The pealing laughter died down to girlish giggles as Maleficent said. "Oh Regina, this will be fun. I suppose I don't want the fight to be completely unfair… So here."

She lobbed the sword through the air and it clanged then skittered over the pavement landing closer to Emma's feet then her own.

"I do hope you know how to use that. Now it's my turned." She chuckled deep in her throat, the sound distorting to a crescendo of drumming thunder.

Her jaw shifted outward with the crack of bone, the nose following, while her eyes pulled back, growing larger and blazing brighter. Scales rippled up her lengthening neck as it swayed her head dangerously like snake about to strike. Pitching forward, Maleficent didn't fall to her hands, rather landed on black claws that were expanding. Her whole person was expanding; spikes tented her back until they ripped through fabric of her cloak and her body writhed and crunched. The last vestiges of her human laugher vanished with the fire that began to pour from her serpentine smile.

The flames climbed around her higher and higher obscuring the woman from view until smoke collapsed and extinguished the flames bringing peculiar silence. The cloud of smoke churned nervously in the quiet. Then a bone-shaking roar pierced through the grey and pandemonium struck. The townspeople answered back with their own screams of terror, everyone suddenly fleeing in all direction. Except for Regina and Emma who stood rooted to the spot and watched a dragon emerged from the mist, great wings stretched and casted a dreadful shadow.

The dragon reared back, shouting a column of fire into the sky. Regina stumbled backward, "Emma get the sword. Run!"

The blonde followed the instructions though Regina grabbed her wrist and yanked her along to be sure. They hid behind temporary cover in the form of a brown truck. Emma crouched next to her using the sword for support, "What happened out there?"

"My magic. It's different here." Regina clenched her fists. "I can feel it, but I can't get it to work."

"So like what? Your battery is dead?"

She scoffed. "That's not how it works."

"Whatever." Emma rolled her eyes clearly not interested in semantics. "What are we going to do now?"

"I just need a minute to-" Their hurried conversations was interrupted by a dragon's foot crashing on top of their hiding place, talons crumpling the metal frame like a used napkin, the pickup was tossed down the street. Emma moved fast, her self-preservation and athleticism kicking in as she now snatched Regina's hand and ran them to the closest alley.

Maleficent scuttled after them but she was too large to fit in the passage, her jaws thrashing and smashing the red brick of the buildings. The beast huffed air into her lungs, holding it in to let it boil. Regina quickly realized their precarious position. "Inside. We need to get inside."

Emma caught on too, wrenching side door open and they both dove inside just before the alley turned into a char-blackened oven. Tumbling through what turned out to be the hardware store Regina continued her halted statement. "I think I can get the magic to work. I just need time to figure it out. Do you think you can distract her?"

"Yeah…Yeah, sure." Emma brandished the sword tentatively, sounding less-than-confident. "Distract it…"

"You can do it. This isn't the worse mess you've gotten into, right?"

Emma gave a short laugh in surprise at the reference, as she also recalled their first late night conversation in he study that was a lifetime ago, the moment of honesty that started the events spilling out before them. She noticed their hands were still clasped together, drawing comfort from one another without their permission. A piercing cry sliced between them, reminding them of the peril that impatiently waited.

Their hands fell apart reluctantly and Emma gave her a faded smirk. "I did have this really awful boss once."

The brunette returned it with a brave grin. "Take the sword. I'll be fast as I can."

"What am I supposed to do with it?" The younger woman asked, though already moving to make her exit.

Regina could only impart with her vague mysticism in the guise of advice. "It's your father's sword. You'll figure it out."

Their eyes locked once more, Emma lingering at the door as if to steal a few more seconds of already borrowed time. Then with a solitary nod, she strode out to face the enemy with all the reckless valor of a true knight. "Hey brimstone breath! Over here!"

With Emma departed, she rushed to the glass window to watch her run across the street, Maleficent encumbered by her hulking size slowly swung her head to spit a trail of fire after the woman. The sheriff evaded the blaze and ducked behind the row of cars parked along the street. The dragon smashed the cars one by one searching for her prey.

Meanwhile, Regina tugged at her strands of magic like trying to unknot a ball of yarn but the more she pulled the more entangled it became. She tried to visualize the anger, burning and radiant, that sat at the center of the ball. Her fuse had been so short in the Enchanted Forest magic burst out of her quick and easy, always ready to perform on her whim.

And now it sulked and dawdled, defiantly immobile. The queen caught sight of Emma once more. She had managed to flank the mountainous monster, stabbing underneath her wing where her skin was more leathery and less plated by the armor of her scales. Maleficent howled with incensed pain and Emma darted away, sliding into another alley just in time to avoid the whip of a forked tail.

As if remembering her wings, the dragon flapped them experimentally, and then stronger, creating gusts of wind that blew leaves and debris down the road. With a leap into the air, she was airborne, wings pumping and pushing her higher into the sky, unhindered by the puncture in her side that lazily leaked slimy green blood. She hovered over the alley, raining her fire breath into the narrow space. Emma escaped with the flames licking her boot heels. Regina growled as her fingers sparked irritatingly.

Her quarry back out in the open, Maleficent swooped, her claw descending upon the blonde. Emma flung the sword upward in a hysterical swing and the dragon received the bite of sharp steel instead of the pliant flesh and bone of her opponent. She retracted her appendage with a shrill cry and flew away to circle for a second aerial strike. The younger woman fled down the street as the winged-creature made a dive for her. She fell to her knees hard to narrowly dodge the assault.

Maleficent looped back and landed back at the center of the intersection with a force that cracked the cement under her. She roared ferociously, fangs bared and back of her mouth glowing menacingly at Emma who was still planted on the ground, trying to regain her bearings. The sheriff appeared to be considering her sword and then tossed it aside in favor of drawing her gun that she'd clipped to her skirt earlier. Making it unsteadily to her feet, she held the gun with both hands, arms fully extended, to shoot up at the dragon. The lead bullets pinged harmlessly off of the impenetrable scales. Maleficent approximated what she supposed passed as laughing for a dragon, which came out as an amused purr; that was until one of Emma's shots embedded into her soft cornea. Using the distraction Emma took off down the road as the pulp of her left eye caved in and green blood oozed as she wailed and clawed at her face, blindly letting out a surprising stream of fire down the street right for a defenseless Emma.

Regina felt her cells dissolving before she realized what was happening. The sensation of floating away filled her gut and with a swoosh of purple smoke she was by Emma's side. Her hands up in defense would have been worthless in shielding them from the blaze except for the lavender force field that emitted from them surrounded the two women. The heat throbbed; fire threatening to envelop them whole but Regina gritted her teeth and her magic held strong. And it wasn't anger that drove her magic.

The rage, like hot lead in her heart, that once accompanied her magic was gone. Instead her chest felt like a warm meadow, blue skies dappled with clouds, horses galloping across the land like a distant storm, and wild flowers swaying contentedly in the breeze. At the center of it all, Emma stood with Henry. Her golden curls shined brighter than the sun and her arm draped with comfortable familiarity around her son's shoulders as they gaze out at the wonder before them. The feeling over-flowed her heart so much that it hurt; it was too much for her to ever hope to have.

The fires around them finally withdrew, feeling like a rush of cold at the absence of sweltering heat. Regina immediately looked at Emma, running an inventory of her appearance. Her hair was wickedly wind-swept and her face smudged with soot like she'd been cleaning the fireplace. Her breathing came in harsh, frantic pants and her tights were ripped at the knees from her fall, livid red blood peaking through the black. She was alive. Though they didn't have time to revel in that.

"You need to get the sword."

"It's useless. I can't penetrate her scales with it." She shook her head. "She barely took any damage under her wing."

"At the base of her neck is where her fire is stored." Regina pointed to the smoldering part of the dragon's anatomy as she continued her rapid explanation. "The scales separate to help oxygenate the fire when she is about to expel. It's her weak spot."

Regina could see her calculating the distance and weight of the sword, her muscles probably tiring now. She grimaced. "I can't make it from here."

"Go, get closer. I'll provide you with cover." She trembled with conviction and a sliver of fear. "Trust me."

The blonde only hesitated for a fraction of a second, and then conceded with a firm nod. Her gaze as solid and sharp as emeralds, Emma leaned in to capture Regina's lips in a fierce burst of a kiss, too short for her to savor but powerful in conveying her implicit confidence in the other woman. Then she was gone in a flash, scooping up her discarded weapon as she charged the malicious, vengeful dragon.

The next blast of flames already spewed toward her as she boldly hurtled into it. Just as it seemed like the fire would consume her, Emma skidded to a halt, arms crossing over her face to stave off the blinding, white light and Regina shoved the magical shield outward to meet the gust of fire. It enclosed Emma, the flaring ether of Maleficent sliding harmlessly off to the sides, like water gliding around a boulder. The brunette held her breath until the dragon ran out of hers. The molten orange and yellow dissipated and Emma lowered her guard to survey the threat once more.

Maleficent prepared for another attack, with great rasping breaths she took in more air, her chest swelling, scales shifting open like vents to reveal the furnace roiling within. This was her chance. "Emma, go!"

Emma jolted from her spot, sprinting hard to gain momentum. Both hands held the gleaming sword overhead, and then with shouting effort, the Savior hurled the blade with all her might, tumbling down to one knee with her follow though. It cart-wheeled through the air with purposeful glee, until with deadly accuracy, it struck its target. The cool metal slipped effortlessly between the scales so it nearly disappeared from view. As it pierced the unsuspecting beast, she bellowed with pained surprise. The fire that had once been contained inside her exploded with incendiary force. The heat and sparks radiated all over Maleficent's shrieking and twisting form, burning everything in its path like a thin sheet of paper plied with a match.

With a final rupture that rocked the town, the creature ceased to exist, leaving nothing except the smell of ash and smoke swirling languidly now, neon embers floated up like fireflies. The town square now incongruously serene with the destruction that had just befallen it. Emma rose slowly, turning back to Regina. Her stare was a bit dazed and vacant, but honing in on the queen like she were a beacon in the night. The older woman started toward her, a slight reassuring smile drawn on her lips.

Then the moment of peace crashed down around her as the rest of the world caught up.


	24. I'm the Sheriff

"Emma?"

She froze at the familiar voice behind her and Regina froze as well, the start of a comfortingly coy smile she displayed becoming a stricken straight line. Emma flinched but turned to face Mary Margret, her eyes shone with happy tears and too broad grin stretched her face. David stood close behind her, beaming like a proud father. Other townsfolk had emerged as well having apparently weathered out the dragon somewhere together. Granny and Ruby, Pharmacist Tom and five other men about his height, all congregated around them, except they weren't the people Emma knew them as. They were people who had whole other lifetimes that didn't include memories of her. They seemed different too, more vibrant and flush than before. They all also appeared to be waiting for her to make an announcement. Not knowing how to proceed she said lamely. "So I guess it's all true."

Mary Margret who had been staring at her rapturously, stepped forward, hands extended to cup her cheeks with motherly affection, her face wilted with the tear that now fell in fat droplets from her cheeks. She pulled Emma's stiff body into a crushing hug, whispering brokenly, "You found us."

Emma stayed motionless as she allowed the affection. David joined them and Emma fought to keep still, her brain still registering the man as merely an acquaintance. Fortunately Henry came to her rescue. "Emma! Emma!"

He called out as he flitted down the road like a songbird, Leroy lagging behind and wheezing like a bagpipe. The couple relinquished her from their embrace though Mary Margret still clasped at Emma's arms as Henry bolted pass his mother and came merrily up to them. He prattled on excitedly. "What happened? We heard like dinosaur noises. Was there a dragon? Did you fight a dragon?"

He then paused taking the scene in front of him, the grownups teary eyed and clutching each other. With guileless curiosity he looked at David. "Grandpa?"

The handsome man laughed boisterously, Mary Margret a ringing giggle, and Emma even managed a ruefully smile at his inquiry. David pulled the boy in for a half-hug. "Yeah I guess so kid."

"Your highness." Leroy finally made it to the group, bending at the waist either in a bow or trying to catch his breath, Emma wasn't sure.

"Grumpy!" Her roommate hugged the man like he was an old friend. Her mind stuttered because she wasn't just her roommate, she was supposed to be so much more than that.

"She did it." Henry said, his brown eyes with her flecks of green gazed up at her in awe. "She saved you."

Mary Margret gave a hiccupping little breath. "She saved all of us."

"I- Well, I-" Emma started to deny it but she couldn't even begin to describe the tumultuous path that lead up to the curse lifting and Regina at the epicenter of all of it. In actuality, she hadn't even broken the curse. Regina had been the one to kiss her. She didn't have the chance to point that out.

"So why are we still here?" Leroy asked.

"That my friend is an excellent question." David spoke with a new accent, not so much in how his words sounded rather with a strange cadence, broad and dramatic like her were acting in a play. It grated against her nerves.

"And what was that smoke from before?" Tom sneezed at the mere mention of the irritant. Suddenly there was a cacophony of questions that rose asking why and how and who, everyone scrambling for answers no one had. Everything was happening a lightening speed; Emma barely had time to process before a voice replaced another. A final question ended the barrage and came full circle. "And what about the smoke?"

"Magic. It's here." Mother Superior approached them with prim authority and a gracious little nod in recognition toward Mary Margret. "I can feel it."

"You're the Blue Fairy. Do something magically." Henry requested eagerly.

"I'm afraid it's not that simple Henry. No wands. No fairy dust. Matters are complicated here."

"Emma has-"

"Not now Henry." The sheriff spoke over him as if to redact his statement, a black box scratched over his words leaving them incomplete for the time being.

"Well, I say we get the person responsible for bringing it." Leroy said his voice graveled with conspiracy. "The Queen."

A few shouts of agreement smattered from the crowd, their eyes drifting over Emma's shoulders to set their sights on the woman standing off a little behind her. Regina bristled at their attention. She uncrossed her arms, palms out by her sides. The gesture would show supplication on anyone else but Emma recognized it as a position of attack. The people edged on the appearance of a mob, tension building from both sides. She shifted back, placing herself more in between them and the mayor. "Wait no. It wasn't Regina."

The standoff suspended, everyone stranded on the middle of a high wire with Emma trying to keep them from plunging into freefall. She started with a diplomatic tone. "Now let's-"

But before she could get a third word in, Dr. Hopper came flailing down the street, waving her umbrella, and yelping a foreboding message, "They're coming! They're coming!"

"Who?" David asked.

"Dr. Whale has everyone whipped up into a frenzy. They're coming for Regina. They are going to kill her." He ejected urgently.

Leroy croaked drolly, "Great. Let's watch."

"No!" Emma and Archie said at the same time but the therapist continued. "We can't stoop to her level. No matter who she is or what she has done, killing her is wrong."

"He's right." Henry's worried gaze darted between them and settled on his mother who had yet to weigh in on the matter. "She's still my mom."

Then the preamble that Dr. Hopper promised came into view. Dr. Whale headed a true mob; a dozen or so people clamoring down the street with ravenous anger. Emma felt the hard press of metal in her waistband but she knew the chambers were vacant, emptied into a mythical beast and more ammunition was too far away in a lock box at the station. Her only other means of defense lay beyond the group. The sword that she pitched stood proudly where the dragon had been, wedged into a crack in the asphalt. Emma ordered to Mary Margret as she marched away from them. "Watch out for Henry."

The conversation carried on without her. Dr. Whale broke ahead while his posse fell in with the others. He greeted her menacingly. "Hello Regina."

"Can I help you?" She asked sweet and hollow.

"That smirk isn't going to last forever Regina. You took everything from us and now-"

Regina cut him off, unflustered, "What? You're going to kill me?"

"Eventually." He threatened. "But first you're going to suffer."

"Listening to you has been enough suffering for all of us." Regina shoved him back with unexpected strength and he staggered back, his bravado weakening under the dark seething gaze of the Queen.

"Careful." David immersed himself into the confrontation. He body-checked the man, forcing him back further, glancing warily at the smug brunette. "She may have her powers back."

"You're not my prince." Whale lashed out at the new opponent, his ego wounded from his unsuccessful acquisition of Regina.

He narrowed in on the apparently unfamiliar face. "Who are you, Whale?"

"That's _my_ business." He hissed.

David leaned in. "Well _my_ business is making sure this town doesn't go to hell so whether I'm not your prince isn't the issue. We have a lot to figure out but this isn't the way to do it."

"Enough!" Emma swung her sword to the ground, the metal reverberating off the concrete like a summoning gong. She had been listening to them argue, her frustrating growing at their pissing contest. "We aren't murders here."

"We're not from this world." Whale turned to ignore her but Emma roughly grabbed his arm.

"Well now you're in it."

He asked sourly. "Why should we listen to you?"

"Because she saved us." David proclaimed. "All of us."

"No, because I'm the sheriff." She corrected him.

"Oh, is that standard issue?" The doctor mocked her medieval weapon of choice.

Emma just glared as Mary Margret now claimed the floor, addressing the crowd with her arms aloft like she was issuing a royal decree. "Nothing justifies this barbaric behavior. And Regina's death won't provide any answers. She needs to be lock up, for her own protection, and more importantly, for ours."

A murmur of agreement swept the crowd, nodding along with the wisdom of the white princess. The blonde bit back further annoyance and seized her opportunity gain control. "I'm taking Regina back to her house. If anyone so much as trespasses on her lawn, I'm throwing them in jail."

"Emma I don't think-" Mary Margret began to say in a light reprimanding tone.

Emma barked, the woman jumping a little at the snap in her voice. "No, I'm the sheriff. You're a schoolteacher. You're a doctor. You're a… coma patient."

She reminded each person of his or her respective role in Storybrooke. "And Regina is the mayor. As far as I'm concerned, I'm the law in _this_ land so whatever I say goes. For now I'm putting her under house arrest or whatever."

Not leaving any room for argument, Emma stalked off, briskly addressing Regina as she made her way through the wreckage to her car. "Let's go."

She could hear the click of Regina's compliant gait behind her.


	25. Night Fall

It was hard to tell if her vehicle had suffered any damage in the scrimmage, the rust marks and scrapes having overtaken the majority of the body over the years. At the very least, the bug had not received any internal damage as it puttered gently through the lanes. Emma concentrated only on driving, maintaining the speed limit, using her turn signals, and giving each stop sign its full attention.

Out of the corner of her eye she caught Regina shiver. The mayor had been without her coat throughout the ordeal, which had been fine when everything was literally on fire and their blood was saturated with adrenaline. Other than perhaps being cold, the other woman looked none too worse for the wear. Her white blouse slightly more rumpled than usual and stripes of soot dashed randomly on her slacks. Her expression grim with weighted thoughts of which the blonde ardently avoided. Emma didn't say anything and neither did Regina.

The silence still reigned as she parked in front of the grand house, Emma got out with Regina and they solemnly walked like a pair of shuffling sleepwalkers. The sheriff realized she limped slightly, her left knee worse than her right, but both stung and throbbed from harshly meeting the pavement in her clumsy dive for safety. They passed through the threshold of the home, their roughened condition going unnoticed by the sturdy frame. The fine items that adorned the foyer peered stoically at the two women, everything looking rightfully in its place. The composed setting starkly contrasted the chaos that lay outside its doors; the turmoil on the verge of spilling over in Emma.

Regina wandered to the short flight of stairs as Emma fell heavily against the closed door. Regina whipped around to her at the surprisingly loud thud her body made against the wood. She swallowed hard. And then again, trying to pushdown the thick, acidic panic that filled her throat. It pressed on her airways, the passages constricting agonizingly. "I can't- can't- breath."

Her knees gave out as she sunk to the floor. Regina's face creased with worry made a little start toward her. Emma's hand flew out, a pale desperate gesture as she managed to rasp, "Don't. Just don't."

She couldn't stand the thought of being touched right now. Thankfully, her words seemed to throw up an invisible force field, like the one Regina had fabricated, that kept her at a distance. She shifted against it, wringing her hands uselessly, but stayed respectfully away as Emma gasped. The vessels of her lungs collapsing like her legs, not allowing her to get the oxygen her brained screamed for.

Regina ascended out of view, which only made her choke harder. But she returned in a moment, again stopping outside an imaginary bubble and extending her hand to the grounded woman. Emma's vision blurred and then a wet washcloth swam into focus. She fumbled for the rag, immediately pressing the cool, damp fabric to her hot cheeks, then burying her whole face into it. She could hear Regina saying, "You're hyperventilating. Put your head between your knees."

She did and slowly but surely the muscles in her neck relaxed. Her sharp staccato breathes calmed to irate puffs and then evened out to gentle pulls of air. The fog that obscured any tangible thought dissipated. Finally Emma could lift her head and let the now warm rag fall from her face. The white terry cloth now smeared with black, so she wiped her face with the other side to hopefully clean off any stubborn grime leftover. When her eyes found Regina again, the woman sat on her knees a few feet away as if waiting patiently to answer her questions.

She sniffled. "So there was a dragon, a fucking dragon. I'm not experiencing some psychological break."

"No psychological breaks. There really was a dragon." Regina confirmed like she was just agreeing about the weather.

"Jesus…" Emma swore and forced out the next part. "And Mary Margret… David. They are my p- parents."

"I'm sorry but yes. Yes, they are your parents."

"It's all too… unbelievable Regina." Emma expelled hopelessly. She tried to accept the fact that she had found her parents; that Mary Margret and David were her parents. But it was like knowing about the moon. She could see it in the night sky, know about the different phases and yet she couldn't comprehend how it's gravity would feel. She would never have the chance to be suspended in the air and turn upward to be lulled by the twinkling raven-colored universe just as she would never know how it felt to be held by her mother, to look up and see her shining eyes and Milky Way cowlick as she hummed a melodic tune.

"I know. Give yourself sometime to process." Regina's voice was a soothing balm on her agitated thoughts, pragmatic and with a touch of kindness. Emma took a deep breath and clambered back to her feet.

"You're okay?" Regina asked.

"I'm fine. Thank you." Emma handed the soiled rag to Regina, who seemed to take precaution not to touch her as she took it. She needed to move forward before the panic dragged her down again. She had more matters to address. " Everyone had a lot of question. They were asking about the smoke. Do you know anything about it?"

Regina daintily folded the cloth, placing it on the marble-topped end table like it didn't have Emma's dirt and sweat on it. With a shrug she said. "I don't have any idea of how it was conjured but I have an idea who is behind it."

Emma prompted her with raised eyebrows and Regina went on, "Mr. Gold. Known as Rumplestilskin where we are from. He wanted the curse broken. I don't know why but he has plans and knowing him its nothing good."

"Rumplestilskin. Right. The little elf who spins straw into gold."

"He isn't an elf. He's dangerous."

"Okay." She held up her hands defensively. "How about why we didn't all return to the… magical kingdom thingy?"

"I don't know for sure. It could be that is how Gold designed the curse. There was no magic to take us back when the curse broke. If Gold could bring magic to Storybrooke this whole time I'm sure he would have done it if he weren't waiting for something."

Emma nodded thoughtfully, "Sounds like I need to pay him a visit."

Regina warned. "Be careful. And never make a deal with him."

"Why not? You did apparently."

"I understood the repercussions."

"Apparently not. Unless this is how you envisioned it all playing out." Emma said peevishly. The brunette opened her mouth, her eyes flaring as she prepared for a battle. Then the spark fizzled out and her mouth clicked shut.

When she started speaking, she sounded calm, verging on cautious. "Do you want to talk about it?"

It. The kiss and all that it implied. No, she wasn't ready to talk about it. "I should go. They will be wondering where I am."

"Of course. Don't want them to think I've turned you into a toad."

Emma stared blankly at her, considering the feasibility of that statement.

"A bad joke." Regina let her off the hook.

She exhaled. "Right, yeah. I'll be back later and we can talk."

Not waiting for a response, Emma made a hasty exit. She sucked in the fresh air, taking in the cold that was turning bitter, as the day had started its descent into the winter quick night. A cool blue tone painted over the quiet neighborhood that had the strange appearance of being abandoned as the first orange glow of the inside lamps had yet to make an appearance.

She looked at her phone and read a text from Henry.

 **Meeting at Granny's. Hurry up!**

Emma fought the urge to rush into the shelter of Regina's house, to fall back on the floor crying and this time letting Regina brush cool fingertips across her forehead.

She pushed forward with all her might.

/

"I'll be here." Regina said quietly to the vacant space that Emma had just occupied. Light was dwindling in the hall, winter suddenly taking away the day as it tended to do. It felt like so much time and yet also so little time had passed since she had first kissed Emma. That kiss seemed to become the moment by which she clocked her life. When she woke up this morning, it was eight hours until she kissed Emma and now it was two since. Now Regina wondered after the younger woman if she would have the chance to do it again.

"Well that was dramatic." The baritone voice came unseen from the dining room. Regina spun on her heel, magic jumping to her fingers, and the fine hairs on the back of her neck prickling to attention. Then Jefferson rolled into view. He leaned against the doorframe in a smartly tailored suit and scarf flourished around his neck apparently unaware of the dramatization of his own entrance.

Her magic settled, curling back up inside her like an annoyed cat disturbed from its nap. With her fear vanished, the thin scar on her upper lip deepened with her annoyance at his intrusion. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to collect what you promised me." He declared and advanced so he stood at the top of the stairs looking down on her.

"What are you talking about Jefferson?" She asked with no patience. "The curse is broken. Shouldn't you be running into your daughters arms by now?"

"No, that's isn't what we agreed on." Madness tinted his voice. "I wanted a _fresh_ start. I want it to be just the two of us. No double lives."

"I didn't get my part of the bargain. As far as I'm concerned our deal is null and void."

Jefferson cried out indignantly. "No! No, you said-"

" _I said_ -" Regina emphasized, "I would give you a new start after the Savior ate the apple. Well she didn't eat the apple."

"That's not my fault." He whined.

She rolled her eyes. "And it's not my fault you are awful at making deals."

"I did what you asked and you are going to screw me all over again." He said with disbelief.

"Look at it however you want Jefferson. The fact is I'm done with you."

"But I'm- I'm not done with you."

"And what are you going to do?" Regina stalked up the stairs until she was just on the stair below him. "Kill me? Well get in line."

"Don't think I won't." He leaned down into her space with bared teeth.

"And what would your Grace think?" Regina proposed. "She remembers who you are now. Do you think she will want a father who is a murderer?"

His face reddened to nearly an unripe mulberry with the anger her kept contained inside. He hissed viciously, "And you think your son will want the Evil Queen for his mother?"

The blow was a direct hit, pulling the air and fight from her lungs. The queen shoved passed Jefferson with a furious scowl that didn't betray her feeling of cracks splintering over her chest. Stopping at the grand staircase with hands on her hips as she recovered from his statement. "Henry knows he will always have a home here."

"But you don't know if he is ever coming home." He reminded cruelly.

Regina caressed the soft, polished mahogany of the banister, until she found a knick in the wood from when Henry shot a hockey puck in the house when he was five, a solid reminder that he had been there. Her voice was grave with resignation. "Just go Jefferson. There isn't anything I can do to help you."

"Regina. Regina! You can't do this to me! Not again!" But she ignored his tantrum as he yelled at her back. Distantly in her mind, she heard Jefferson's shouting fading and the front door slam with a force that rattled the house like an accented mark on a snare drum. Then silence pervaded like all noise had been sucked out of the air.

Slowly she began to climb, leaning heavily on the railing to make it the next step. Staring at the white carpet beneath the point toe of her shoe, she thought there would be no shoes left on the stairs tonight; because Henry wasn't coming home tonight. He would be with Snow White and Prince Charming and the whole merry band of misfits celebrating their triumphant victory over the Evil Queen. Her son, finally vindicated after months of being told his beliefs were childish delusions, had been exuberant at the curse being dispelled. He bound around resembling a chocolate Labrador, as he explored the new world and possibilities it afforded like dragons and dwarves and magic. He identified each townsperson with their fairy tale counterpart, probably having deduced it long ago. He truly was a brilliant boy. For all her son's brilliance however, he was still so young and his vision shortsighted.

She wondered if this would be her new normal, trapped in her lavish home, making the quiet trek to the upstairs by herself. Instead of heading to the right toward her own bedroom, Regina veered left down the hall. Henry's consideration only extended as far as bringing back the happy endings. There had been no thought given to what would happen to his mother and the fall out that waited for her.

 _She's still my mom._ His words were the threads of hope she clung to as she entered Henry's room. At the very least, he didn't want her dead, which flimsy as it may be sufficed for now. Her eyes cataloged the contents of his room all typical boy blue and modern superheroes dominated the space. He perceived Emma like that, like she was a superhero clad in red leather gamely vanquishing the villain with her powers of truth and justice. That ideal of the Savior hardly brushed reality of Emma Swan. Thus far, heroics seemed to run through her veins as if inherited from her father and mother, but it had taken its toll on the blonde.

The string wrapped around her heart tugged at a different image of Emma; the women who cringed at her mother's voice, who angered at the presumption of others trying to step on her territory of sheriff, and who collapsed with a panic attack in her foyer. Regina thought about how Emma had chosen her, maybe subconsciously, to witness the moment of searing emotion, what the blonde may consider weakness. The mayor held to that thought with the other of Henry as she lay down atop of the comforter on her son's bed. She pressed her face into his pillow, allowing for her despair to distort her features in a mask of pain hidden in the fabric for only a moment.

Relaxing her muscles, her expression defaulted to that of the blank, regal mask of the queen. Her eyes stared unseeingly at the spindly branches against the gray cast sky out the window, her mood descending further with the oncoming night.

/

Jefferson would not tolerate another betrayal from Regina. She would not cast him off this time without any retribution for her manipulations. The man fumed, nearly salivating with anger as he slunk through the nearly empty halls of Storybrooke Memorial Hospital. The medical facility had always been sparsely occupied but since the curse broke, it was more abandoned than usual. Some patients had been discharged and some of the staff left their posts in the general confusion that had ensued, letting him make his journey unhindered.

Regina was right in one aspect. He wouldn't lift a finger towards her but at least he could possibly set in motion the mechanisms that could provide vengeance. Turning off the main brightly lit hall, he found the dingy stairway and started his plunge down into the mental ward. At the front desk, a strict looking nurse still kept watch. She stood at his abrupt appearance, hand coming to rest flat against her sternum as if offended by him. He asked shortly, "You know the curse is broken?"

She nodded curtly.

"Then get out of here." She remained rooted to her spot, starting at him frankly.

"Get out of here! Go!" Jefferson snarled like a rabid dog and the woman finally hurried off with a disgruntled expression. He collected himself as he grabbed the ring of keys from the desk and headed back to the cell like rooms. First he opened the door the 'S. Glass' scrawled on the placard outside of the room. The man inside, tired and worn, scurried passed him without a glance or a word.

The second door he opened a broad, tall man with an impressive beard burst out from his prison. He looked around wildly, like checking for danger, then turned to Jefferson. "Thank you. I'm in your debt."

"Just make sure people know what Regina has done." He glowered and the man dipped his head in recognition before he ran off.

The last door he slipped a key into contained a beautiful young woman. She sat on a cot like she had been waiting for him. He stepped into the room. "Do you know who you are?"

"Yes." She whispered hoarsely.

"And you know it was Regina who locked you up?"

"Yes." She said again.

His brow darkened. "Then go find Rumplestiltskin."


	26. Returns & Reveals

The wide front window of Granny's Diner spilled yellow light into the indigo dusk like a movie projector, the figures in the frames of glass playing a silent film of people lively celebrating, clinking pints in toasts and patting each other on the back. Emma loitered off camera, shuffling uncomfortably in the cold. The scene was too jovial for her mood. And the people in there would look at her with eager smiles and hands out expectantly for her to take up their happiness like it were her own. She knew that she would not be happy in there though.

Stiffening her spine, she walked into the roaring establishment. At first know no one noticed her arrival. Emma paused by the threshold, thwarted by the sight of Mary Margret and David cuddled up in the central booth. She watched them smile graciously at a man who humbly bowed before them, the gesture antiquated and formal and wrong to be happening in the middle of the classic diner.

She tried to think of the couple as her parents. But accepting it was difficult when they were so young and vital. Early today she had thought that the schoolteacher was only a few months older than her. It would be so much easier if Mary Margret's jet-black hair was a shock of white and her round cherubic cheek began to sag with passing years. If David's forehead had wrinkles furrowed across and liver spots splayed over calloused hand, she could see him as her father.

"Emma!" Henry who had been seated on the other side of the table finally saw her and announced her arrival. The townsfolk all peered at her with admiring smiles like she was the bell of the ball. As she acknowledged familiar faces, she realized upon further inspection, people sat with others she normally would have not associated with them. Kathryn sat with Frederick the gym teacher, his arm draped intimately over her shoulders. Dr. Hopper congregated with Mother Superior and a few other nuns. August tilted his glass toward her from his chair next to Marco.

Henry gave her his frantic little wave, beckoning her over. Her lips pulled back in a tight smile and went to the table, all three occupants now smiling blissfully at her as well. Electing to remain standing, she leaned against Henry's half of the booth, her arms naturally crossing over her chest.

"Did Regina give you any trouble?" Mary Margret fussed.

"Everything was fine." Emma waved off her worry. "We talked a little about the smoke and-"

Mary Margret interjected. "First, I mean, are there any questions you want to ask us? I'm sure you have questions."

"The only questions I have are for Mr. Gold. That's who Regina thinks is responsible for the smoke. I want to know what he did to the town and why." And what he had done to her. She recalled the unnerving light from her hands and the bizarre sensation of her cells vibrating that brought her to her knees.

"Uh." She glanced at David for support. "Shouldn't we talk about _it_ first?"

"What?" Emma asked a little startled. Had Henry clued them in to her magic potential while she was away?

"Us? Your life? Everything?" The brunette clarified and Emma could see she was brimming with explanations that she wasn't prepared to hear. Especially in the crowded dinner with half of the town listening to them.

"Can everything wait until later? With a glass of wine." Then she amended. "And several bottles."

Slightly deflated, she looked to David again who jumped in diplomatically. "I know it's a lot to take in for all of us."

"And we don't want to push, it's just we have been waiting for this moment for so long." Mary Margret effused.

"Yeah, so have I." Emma blurted. The pair blinked in confusion at her sudden harshness. She sighed and continued with a more even tenor. "I've thought about this moment for my entire life. I've imagined who you might be. But of all the scenarios that I concocted, my parents being…"

She couldn't complete the sentence, her mind still wrapped protectively in a blanket of denial. Instead she finished with the vague platitude; "I just need a- a little time. That's all."

Emma realized that the restaurant had fallen silent, as they had been talking, everyone tuning into the family drama. She shifted in discomfort, looking down to her boots to avoid the wounded and stunned expressions. Their disappointment hurt. Still, she could not reconcile with them, not yet, when all she remembered from her childhood was the cavernous feeling of being unwanted.

"Snow…" David sounded like he saw a ghost. When Emma looked at them, their wide-eyed focus was behind her shoulder. Following the line of sight, she turned around to find what everyone was gaping at now. Her own heart thumped against her chest as if trying to escape as she took in Graham Humbert standing at the entrance, living and breathing. His beard had grown unkempt, his skin sallow from prolonged confinement, and he wore wrinkled hospital scrubs. He started across the black-and-white checked tiles, and then halted shortly. Clicking his bare feet together, he bowed, his voice respectfully rumbled, "Your highnesses."

Emma disregarded the gesture entirely. Rushing forward, she threw her arms around his neck and he caught her, returning the embrace easily. Her memory jumped back to the time when her feeling toward Regina only ran hot with anger and distain. Her last moment with Graham flashed into view.

 _He treated the scratch above her eye delicately, like tending to a fallen bird. Under normal circumstances, she wouldn't have even bothered, electing to just go to bed with a whiskey sour on her nightstand to sulk away the superficial injury. But he had insisted and was being very sweet._

 _"_ _All better?"_

 _"_ _Yeah." She affirmed and he discarded the used cotton swab. Emma assessed him from her perch on her desk. His kind eyes and broad shoulders appealed to her. And she was tired of being alone. For the first time in a long time, she wanted to feel close to someone. She wanted to feel close to him._

 _He caught her staring. "What?"_

 _She didn't answer. The then deputy let her actions speak as she approached him, Graham meeting her half way, the look in his eyes a reflection of her own. And she kissed him, her lips tingling and his beard tickling her chin. And he kissed her back, like tending to a fallen bird. The standard-issue butterflies fluttered in her stomach and her cheeks flushed. Suddenly he stumbled away disoriented. She looked after him concerned. "Graham? You okay?"_

 _"_ _I remember." He intoned._

 _"_ _Graham." He wasn't making sense._

 _"_ _I remember." He cupped her cheek. "Thank you."_

 _He smiled at her and she returned it, still confused, but he was leaning in to kiss her again. But then he was convulsing on the floor. She shouted his name to no avail. Trembling fingers dialed for an ambulance that came screaming to the station. Last she saw Graham, he was loaded on a gurney into the van with spiraling red lights, his face ashen and with no pulse._

The events that followed happened quickly. By the time she reached the hospital his time and cause of death had been announced: 10:37 pm and undiagnosed congestive heart failure. She glimpsed a body covered in a white sheet before doctors forbade her from viewing him, claiming they needed to further study his cause of death. The next morning she returned to see him and the body had been whisked off into the night to be buried with distant relatives in Vermont.

She could only describe that time as abrupt and painful. Now seeing Graham, holding him, it all came rushing back and yet all washed away at the same time. Emma pulled away enough to see his face, some of her curls still ensnared in his beard. "How? How are you here?"

"Just one of Regina's tricks. When I started to remember who I was, she had to silence me." He explained.

"Where have you been all this time?"

"In the asylum at the hospital." Graham squeezed her waist. "But you, Emma. You did it. You broke the curse. How?"

She pulled away entirely from his arms, evading his inquisitive stare. She mumbled, "Well, I'm not quite sure. It's a long story…"

Leroy suddenly slurred from the corner, apparently having a few two many already, and oblivious of the moment passing between them. "I think we should talk about the 'E word' in the room and I don't mean elephant sister."

Mary Margret stood up to address her subjects, "I agree with Grumpy. We have to have a plan on what needs to be done with her. She needs to be imprisoned for her crimes."

"What crimes?" Emma asked. "There isn't a law against cursing people to have indoor plumbing in this world."

"Where we are from-"

"Well, we're not in Fantasy Land." Emma reminded.

The brunette corrected, "The Enchanted Forest."

Emma ignored her to continue. "And where are we locking her up? We can't send her upstate to penitentiary without convicting her of a crime. And the Sheriff's office isn't made for long term holding."

"She needs to be punished." Snow White said vehemently.

"And who is to decide that?" Emma argued. "There needs to be a trial for her to be found guilty to receive any kind of punishment."

"She _is_ guilty."

Matching sets of stubborn green eyes met in opposition. Emma flexed her jaw and the schoolteacher crossed her arms in a no-nonsense manner. Emma inhaled, the arguments gathering in her chest, but before she could spout something back, Dr. Hopper intervened. "If I may your highnesses, I suggest we hold a tribunal like we would back in the forest. Now, I know we aren't there, but it's the closest thing to a trial seeing as we could never convict Regina in a court of law here. The council and a citizen representative will vote on her guilt or innocence. After that we can decide what steps to take."

"An excellent idea Jiminy." Mary Margret nodded approvingly. "In 5 days time the high council will convene and the people will produce a representative to decide the fate of the Evil Queen."

The room hummed with agreement. Emma nodded along slowly as well. The chances, still slim at best, were better than the losing the key to Regina's freedom all together. Snow continued with a humble smile. "Grumpy, would you do the honor of being our voice of the people."

"No." Emma immediately countered. "Not him. Not any of the… dwarves. They're too close to everything to be unbiased."

Now the other woman couldn't contain her aggravation any longer. She turned on Emma, her brow with an angry, incredulous slant, "Why? Why are you so adamant about defending Regina? She has done nothing but cause our family pain."

"I- it's more complicated than that." Emma said vaguely.

The dark haired woman demanded. "Well explain it to me then."

"Snow…" Her husband's voice sounded warily.

"No David." Her voice pitched up. "I want to know what could be so complicated."

The clock ticking down to when the truth was revealed jumped to a matter of seconds. Emma's eyes flit around the room, searching for a helpful face. Henry peered over the back of the booth with abject curiosity. Ruby worried her lip between her teeth. Leroy scowled suspiciously.

She ended up landing on Graham. He inspected her carefully, the cogs spinning in his mind and clicking into place. He figured it out or at least made a close approximation to it, Emma could tell. She met his appraising eyes, her own gaze unabashed but with an underlying of pleading for his understanding. She looked for her friend in his dark stare, not the Huntsman or whoever Henry thought he was. She needed the man who brought her bear claws, teased how bad she was at making the coffee, and had started to make her feel a little less alone.

Finally, his head tilted forward and quietly, just for her. "You have my allegiance."

It didn't sound quite like Graham she knew but the sentiment was the same, giving her the fortitude to take the next deep breath and then another one. "The truth is I didn't break the curse. I mean, kind of, but not really."

Snow faltered in her anger. "What- what do you mean?"

"Regina broke the curse." A restless din came from the crowd, with disbelief frothing at the top and disapproval swelling with a low rumble, like a wave that was about to come crashing around her.

"That's not possible…" Snow and David exchanged an anxious look. "Emma, we don't understand."

"Regina and I broke the curse. When… she kissed me."


	27. We Need to Talk

The low light from the downstairs crept up the steps, stopping at the threshold of the loft with Emma and observing the mostly darkened room. She could make out the irregular lump of Henry sleeping soundly on an air mattress at the foot of her bed. She desperately wished that she could climb into it, cover herself from the rest of the world, and sleep until everything made sense again. But she knew Mary Margret and David waited downstairs for her; she had heard them come into the apartment a bit ago speaking to each other in hushed, urgent voices.

Still, she could afford herself a few more moments of peace listening to her son's rhythmic breathing after the chaos that ensued from her announcement about the curse-breaking kiss. The uproar that followed startled her and definitely frightened Henry. She could she him visibly jump at the numerous loud voices rising up in denial or outrage. He suddenly looked so small and defenseless surrounded by the adults, his wide eyes trained on her.

She called to him. "Henry, come here."

The boy leapt out of his seat to her side, her arm slipped over his shoulders to keep him near, and Graham shifted closer to them. Emma wondered if they would have to make a break for it, when Snow White's voice trumpeted over the noise. "Enough!"

The room obeyed, a silent spell cast and she continued incredulously. "What do you mean you kissed? How?"

"We just kissed." Emma prickled defensively. "How everything happened is between me and Regina."

David asked, "And you're sure that kiss broke the curse?"

"Yes, I'm sure."

"Emma, it can't be true. It had to happen some other way. The only way the curse would break is if it was True Love's kiss."

"I know." Emma sighed.

Mary Margret heavily dropped back into her seat as if dealt a physical blow, covering her mouth with her hand the other finding David's to grasp tightly on the tabletop. The appeared like statues frozen in a state of grief. The celebratory bubble in the diner had popped and Emma was the one holding the needle.

She cleared her throat. "Look, it doesn't matter. I'm taking Henry back to the apartment. I'll see you there."

Whether her statement was acknowledged or not, Emma did not stick around to find out. She lead Henry out into the night, the sky now a swath of black flecked with stars and the streetlamps hummed their orange glow onto the darkened streets. Graham had followed them out, wordlessly escorting them the few blocks to Mary Margret's home. The trio paused at the door to the white brick building.

"Do you want to come up?" Emma asked.

He shook his head, "No, I think I'll stay out here tonight."

He was looking off down the street and Emma saw a great white wolf sitting patiently at the end of the road, waiting for Graham. She nodded. "Right. I don't think your place was ever emptied out. Your stuff should still be there."

She glanced down at his flimsy attire though he seemed unaffected by the pervasive cold. He made a distracted sound of acknowledgement then looked back at her. "Will you need me tomorrow?"

"I- Yes. Meet at the sheriff's station in the morning?"

"I'll be there." Without a goodbye, he started off down the road.

"Graham." Her voice halted his movement as her turned back. She went on softly. "Thank you. Just thank you."

He made a little bow and continued his trek into the night. Now just she and Henry climbed the two flights of stairs, walking into the cerulean cast of the unlit apartment. Emma flicked on the switch; the light bulbs sparkled to life and dispelled the dark, cool tones to reveal the cozy, warm rooms. She observed her unusually quiet son, "Are you hungry?"

He thought a moment. "Not really."

It was getting past 7 o'clock and he probably hadn't eaten since lunch. She moved to the kitchen. "Have some cereal with me anyways."

Henry compliantly climbed up onto one of the stools at the breakfast bar, sliding his backpack off and draping his coat over the back of the chair while Emma poured to two bowls of Fruit Loops for them. She stood across from where he sat, leaning over the counter tiredly and half-heartedly spooning the sugary cereal into her mouth. Their muffled crunching was the only sound between them until Henry finally spoke up. "My mom would never let me have cereal for dinner."

"Well this won't be an all the time thing." She smiled jokingly, trying to inject her normal teasing nature with him. "I had to slay a dragon today. Give me a break."

"You really killed a dragon?" He allowed himself the moment of reprieve and she could see his shiny excitement coming back to the surface. "Was it cool?"

"Yeah, I did." Emma added more seriously. "But I couldn't have done it without your Mom."

"She helped you?" He stirred the colorful rings in the milk.

"Yeah, Regina used her magic to protect me." She thought of the dark eyes with the blazing amber centers turning to her after having miraculously appeared next to her, the unbearable heat that had just encapsulated them and the hazy purple force field that kept it at bay. The gossamer shield had felt silk rolling over her skin, a summer breeze, and Regina caressing her cheek. So when the brunette implored her with ' _trust me_ ' she confidently stole a kiss and charged toward danger, the feeling of invincibility pumping through her veins.

"Emma… How could the Evil Queen be your True Love?" His young mind struggled with the possibility.

"Henry, there is a lot your mom and I need to discuss. I- I can't answer all your questions right now. But once, I talk with Regina, I promise I will tell you everything I can. Deal?"

He nodded. "Deal."

After a beat Emma asked, "Are you tired?"

She thought he might whine and beg to stay up as it was hardly his usual bedtime but he yawned, "Yeah, a bit."

"You finish up. I'll set up a place for you to sleep."

The air mattress was blown up, blankets and a spare toothbrush found in the back of a closet. Emma snuck in a quick shower, the water running brown from the ash and red from her untended knees. Her ruined tights had been crusted stuck to her skin, when she pulled them off to throw right into the trash she had started bleeding again. Crudely taping gauze around them, she put on leggings, the bandages creating odd bulges in the garment, along a gray-knit sweater, feeling slightly better now that she was clean and in comfortable clothes. As she rejoined Henry he was getting on the makeshift bed in his undershirt and boxers. "You have everything you need kid?"

"Yeah." His eyes shifted around the room uneasily and it occurred to her he may have never slept away from his home before.

Emma stepped forward awkwardly. "Can I sit with you? Until you fall asleep?"

"Yeah, that sounds good." He attempted a casual tone but the undercurrent of relief was obvious as he lay down to settle in for the night. She clicked of the bedside lamp and took a seat on the ground, leaning against the bottom of her bed next to Henry's head. She rested her head back, "Goodnight."

He turned onto his side and mimicked back, "Goodnight."

The radiator thrummed its rattling lullaby for a moment. Then Henry's voice came from the dark, thin and frail. "Emma?"

"Yes?"

"I don't want anything bad to happen to my mom."

"Oh Henry." Her hand reached out tentatively, pushing against his soft umber hair and pushing the boundaries of their relationship. Their physical interactions were usually limited to her playfully rubbing his head and exuberant half-hugs on Henry's part. But this felt like the first motherly gesture toward her son, something she'd seen Regina do. "I promise I'll do everything I can to keep your mom safe."

She bent down and brushed a shy kiss on his forehead. A small thank you issued from him, his eyes slipping shut as Emma kept stroking his hair. As his breathing evened out, she allowed her head to fall back, her own eyes shut with the weight of the last 24 hours. Her head filled with the blissful blackness of sleep for what felt like a solitary second. Then she started awake to the sound of the door clacking shut and boots scuffing against the hardwood.

Emma had bit off a frustrated groan and stood, though it felt as if she were pulling through tar to get to her feet. Then she became stuck at the top of the steps, where she still remained, trying in vain to ignore the couple's mumbled conversation. She had known about her parents for only a few hours and she was already disappointing them Emma thought ruefully. Her heart throbbed uncomfortably, pumping too-hot blood through her veins. Her emotions spun around like a maddening carousel; elated to have found her parents but also so very angry with them, and angry with Regina, but still longing for the other woman, then scared, then happy again as she thought of kissing Regina, and then hurt and back to angry. Everything whirled into a confusing blur, so it was as if she didn't feel anything at all.

Exhaling slowly, Emma finally hobbled down the stairs, peering down at the pair seated at the dining table, their heads bent close together in serious discussion. She caught the last thing David said before they realized she was approaching. It sounded like a warning, "Don't push it Snow."

"Hey." Emma greeted in a low voice. "Henry is asleep."

"We need to talk." Mary Margret said, matching Emma's muted volume but managing to sound sharp. "I don't understand how this could have happened."

"You and me both." Emma bypassed them for the kitchen, rummaging about for a wine glass and the pinot grigio in the refrigerator; their heads swiveled after her.

"I'm serious Emma. What? Regina just kissed you out of the blue? She tripped and fell onto you lips?"

The blonde took a few healthy gulps of her newly acquired wine, the liquid crisp and sweet like green apples and honey burned down her throat. She looked into her parents inquiring gaze as she topped off her glass. Emma spoke deliberately as she braced herself, "She didn't just kiss me. Regina and I have been... had been seeing each other for a while."

"Seeing each other?"

"Sleeping together."

"Uh- For how long?"

"A few months. It ended abruptly right before you were arrested for Kathryn's disappearance."

"A few months?" Her roommate was aghast. "Emma we talked. We talked about things we probably shouldn't have talked about as mother and daughter. One night stands and the like-"

"One night stands?" David asked, his eyebrows climbed his forehead.

"Whale." She tried to quickly glaze over.

But David boomed dubiously, "Whale?"

"Sh!" Emma shot a look at the steps indicating for them to keep their voices down.

David ducked his head, properly chastised, but reiterated with a quieter but still shocked, "Whale?"

"We were cursed. That is neither here nor there. The point is, Emma, we talked and you never said anything." Her eyes filled with hurt.

"I couldn't exactly announce it. You and Regina never got along and she is technically my boss. We never really had the chance to get serious." Emma sighed. '"And it all just… happened so fast."

"Why didn't the curse break earlier then?" David wondered.

Emma felt her cheeks warm, "Well, what we were doing didn't necessarily require kissing."

She was met with silence. David's face turned a little pink and his wife turned impossibly paler. Then Mary Margret began flatly, "The Evil Queen cast some sort of love spell. You're just cursed and we have to figure out how to break it and then-"

The other woman was picking up steam. Emma drained her wine before interrupting, "I'm not under a spell. There was no magic in Storybrooke for Regina to have cast a spell until after the curse was broken."

The logic the brunette started to build toppled over, and her shoulders sagged with defeat. Mary Margret ran her fingers through her short-cropped hair as she spoke sounding distraught, "We're together… We're finally together. And you just seem so unhappy about it."

"Of course I'm happy." Emma said exasperated. "But, see- here's the thing. No matter what the circumstances, for 28 years I only knew one thing, that my parents sent me away."

Her mother smiled serenely like she had the easiest explanation in the world. "We did that to give you your best chance."

"You did it for everyone because that is who you are; leaders and heroes, princes and princess." Emma understood that they had truly believed that it was the only way to save her; she was even a little proud. But they hadn't given anything thought to where the little baby would end up. At least with Henry when she had given him up, she knew he would be adopted. That had been an absolute when arranging it with children services. She knew he wouldn't end up in a hollowed tree or viciously cycled through the foster care system. When it came down to it, her parents had been acting nobly, making a sacrifice for their kingdom, but it definitely had not been her best chance at being loved. "And that's great and amazing and wonderful but that doesn't change the fact that for my entire life I've been alone."

She tried to soften the blow but Mary Margret looked crushed. She shook her head and tried to explain again, like perhaps maybe Emma had just not understood her. "But if we hadn't sent you away you'd have been cursed too."

"But we would have been together. Which curse is worse?" From the looks on their faces Emma may as well have ripped their hearts from their chests.


	28. Klaus

Two days later, Emma sat in her office at the sheriff's station under the pretense of doing work. However, the activity may have been more aptly described as hiding out.

Nothing had been resolved that night she and her parents talked. They all retired to bed with bruised feelings and heavy thoughts. The only reprieve was that Emma had slept as if she were under a sleeping curse, her exhaustion wrapped around her like a warm blanket that helped her sleep straight through until morning. She had risen with the renewed conviction to find Mr. Gold and get some answers and avoid her parents.

Breakfast had been fraught with things left unsaid and wounded gazes over stacks of blueberry pancakes. It was only salvaged by Henry and his never-ending list of questions for Snow White and Prince Charming, He asked innocuous but detailed questions about what life was like in the Enchanted Forest, wanting to know about horseback riding, sword fighting, and if they had ever seen a unicorn; his excitement restored after a good nights sleep. So she slipped away, leaving him with the couple, which he was now experimentally calling Gramps and Gran, and headed to the sheriff's station to meet Graham to strategize on how to approach Mr. Gold.

That plan never came to fruition however. Graham was already there when she arrived and swarmed by townspeople abuzz with questions and demands. After the initial clamor of her arrival, Emma had wrangled the unruly crowd under control. The people who just wanted to whine at her or had grievances about being owed three chickens once upon a time were sent off immediately, which removed a fair amount of the plaintiffs. They prioritized the folks whose property had been damaged in the dragon fight. She helped talk to the insurance company and argued that dragons should be covered under 'natural disasters anomalies'. Then mobilized the construction crew that had contracts with the government; Graham had aided in remembering who to contact for that.

The day stretched long, filled with discussions about where to start repairs, if any buildings suffered too much structural damage and may need to be torn down entirely, and assisting in clearing rubble from the streets. She worked until her bones were sore, the ache driving her into her bed once again to a deep, dreamless sleep.

This morning with her parents had been slightly better, everyone at least seemed to have a wordless agreement to just smile and try their best. Emma couldn't deny the familial atmosphere had been rather pleasant as they grinned politely over bacon and eggs. Still, she dipped out as soon as she could to supervise the construction. Emma watched and ensured everything was running smoothly but they didn't really need her. The outbreak of confusion after the curse broke already had ebbed. The mechanisms of the town clicked back into place and cogs began to grind forward like it always had.

As Emma scratched unnecessary notes about an odd compliant involving a fence and a goat and a garden gnome (a real one apparently), she heard the brisk tapping sound of four clawed paws trotting across linoleum. She looked up and found a white wolf slipping into her office, immediately sniffing around the room with excessive diligence. A moment later Graham appeared in the doorframe. He wore a heather blue sweater under his brown leather jacket and relaxed jeans with worn hiking boots, looking much more casual than he did as sheriff. He'd trimmed his hair and beard back to a tidy length though and smelled faintly like pine as he once had. Emma also noted the army green duffle bag slung over his shoulder. She smiled at him but her eyes were veiled with sadness, "I don't suppose you've come for your job back?"

"Sorry, no. I'm glad to see you took assuming all of my duties so seriously, official and otherwise." He raised his eyebrows conspiringly towards her in reference to her activities with Regina.

She guffawed, "Oh god. Shut up."

"Seriously, Emma, the badge suits you. You've done well here."

"Thank you." Her eyes fell meaningfully on his bag again. "So where are you going?"

"To the woods." Then he added, "Not too far."

But not here Emma thought. "So you're going to live up there?"

"I didn't belong with people in the Enchanted Forest and I don't belong here. I could be happy out there." He said his voice colored with longing.

Emma leaned forward, her head tilted curiously, "What is your happy ending?"

He chuckled ruefully. "I don't know. I wasn't happy back there. For the first time I feel like I have the hope to find it though."

"Your heart? Does Regina still have it?" Emma recalled suddenly.

He patted his chest, "It's here. I think it was restored when the curse broke."

"Good, I'm happy for you." She looked down and fiddled with her pen.

He stepped more fully into the office. "And what about you? What is your happy ending?"

"That is so much more complicated." She exhaled heavily.

"Is it?" Graham queried.

"You do remember who my supposed True Love is right?"

"I do. She had me locked in a cell for some months." He said too casually.

"How could I love someone like that? She held you prisoner." Emma shook her head in disbelief.

"I wasn't happy about it. But if Dr. Hopper had come to us claiming he believed in Henry's curse we probably would have sent him to the mental ward without Regina's help."

"Or we could have broken the curse sooner together."

"There's no point in wonder what could have been."

"You're being awfully zen about this for someone some one who was held against their will." Emma said dubiously.

He chuckled, "I'm just glad to be out and I suppose getting your heart back makes one rather forgiving."

"Still, it's not the only thing she's done to hurt people I care about."

"Regina isn't perfect by any means." He said agreed and then continued thoughtfully. "But I think if you look deeper beneath the surface you'll find she wasn't the only one hurting people. I nearly killed your own mother when I struck a deal with Regina for my own gain… The woman I knew back in the forest didn't have much of a chance to be good."

Emma wanted to know more but instinctively knew Graham wouldn't elaborate. Instead she grimaced at another thought. "My parents, especially Snow, they don't understand. They don't approve."

He rubbed his beard and shrugged. "The way I see it, you were just a babe who had scarcely drawn her first breath when the prince and princess sent you here. You didn't have a choice but to sacrifice your happiness for the chance to save everyone else's. I think that you've earned the right to be happy with whoever you want."

There was a pause and then Emma started quietly, the thought that truly frightened her rising up, "And Regina… what if she doesn't want this?"

"I'm afraid that is just something you will have to talk about with her."

Emma considered his advice. He always had been a voice of reason when he acted as sheriff. It had been one of the things that she had been attracted to; his steadfast and loyalty like a low-burning hearth to keep her warm. The heat from then was still pleasant but nothing in comparison to the blazing sun that was Regina Mills; no matter what state their relationship, it was scorching and vital and alive. The new sheriff felt compelled to explain this to Graham, however she couldn't articulate it, and perhaps he didn't want to hear it. Instead she said. "I missed you. I am going to miss you."

"I'll still be around. Especially if you need me." The wolf had finished inspecting the room and placed her head in Emma's lap. "She'll let me know."

"Hello." Emma cooed slightly to the animal and cautiously moved to place her hand on top of her head. The wolf didn't move, except for the a few lazy swishes of her tail. The blonde took it as permission to proceed as she scratched behind pointed ears; yellow eyes fell shut contently.

"She likes you." Graham said.

"Does she have a name?"

"Eve."

"Hello Eve." Her tail waved quicker in recognition. Emma looked up to Graham with a sudden realization. "What was your name back there?"

"My name was Klaus." She wrinkled her nose a little and Graham laughed. "I don't care for it much either. No one really called me by my name there anyways. It was always Huntsman. Please just call me Graham."

"Oh thank god." She rushed out with relief.

"Well, your coffee is still shite. Want to go grab a cup?" This elicited a laugh from the younger woman. "We could go by Mr. Gold's pawnshop after."

"I stopped by this morning. It's locked up tight." Emma shook her head. "I've got the feeling he doesn't want to be found right now."

"Has that ever stopped you before?"

"No. But I think we have enough on our plate without worrying about him for the time being. And I have an appointment in a bit that I should be getting to."

"Well alright then. I'll leave you to it." He made a little bow to her.

"Later this week though?" Her voice lilted upward hopefully.

He gave her a half-smile. "I'll find you."


	29. Hansel & Ava

Author's Note: I know there is an episode in season 1 where Regina tries to take Hansel and Gretel. For the purpose on my story I'm disregarding that part and using a more traditional tell of the tale.

/

Parking her bug in front of the modest one-story home, Emma was greeted with the sight of a father and his two children playing basketball, a new hoop having been erected since her last visit. Michael Tillman held the orange ball over his head, while Ava and Nicholas sprang around him, tugging on his coat to try and reach it. The man struggled against them to take a shot, launching the ball toward the basket; it thumped coyly around the rim but didn't fall through the hoop. Nicholas scrambled to retrieve the rebound, dribbling away from his sister who was in hot pursuit.

As Emma slammed her door shut, the three people turned to her presence, watching her amble up the driveway.

"Emma, what are you doing here?" Nicholas asked, tucking the ball under his arm.

"We have an appointment today. I'm just here to check up on you guys." Emma began to realize perhaps she'd made a mistake. "Though I suppose your father has always been your father and should have always had custody since your Hansel and…"

"Ava." The girl supplied before Emma could finish.

"I'd still like to be Hansel." The boy informed her in a matter of fact tone.

"Hansel and Ava." She acknowledged with a smile. "Looks like you are all good here. I guess I'll be heading out then-"

"No, I'm glad you stopped by." Mr. Tillman said. "Kids, why don't you go inside and watch cartoons for a bit and then we'll start lunch. I'd like to speak with Sheriff Swan for a minute."

The children did as they were told, running off and already playfully arguing over whose turn it was with the remote controller, each claiming the other had it last. The father wistfully watched them disappear through the garage. Emma shoved her hands into her pockets and asked cautiously, "Everything going okay?"

He redirected his attention to her as he cleared his throat. "Yes we're good. I just wanted to say thank from before, for helping keep my family together."

She waved him off. "It was nothing you wouldn't have done if you remembered them."

"I- it's not that simple." His voice dipped, a pain expression spread across his face.

She furrowed her brow. "What do you mean?"

"You have to understand, back there, life was hard. My wife died of what probably amounted to the flu. After that, I couldn't support my family. I couldn't put food on the table. I sent them into the forest for firewood but…" The man strained under the weight of the memory. "What good was firewood if we were just slowly starving? When they didn't come back, I didn't look for them."

Emma didn't know how to what to do with his confession. Her anger flared white hot that he could be so callous, so negligent. She wanted to demand answers. Why wouldn't have go after them? How could he do that to his own children? However the question got caught in her throat, balling into a large knot just under her chin as she recalled that her own parents sent her into the unknown. And then she had given Henry away. They were all just humans in desperate situations, making mistakes or trying to give everyone the best chance or running away from everything before it could hurt you. Michael's voice cracked, "We weren't separated because of the curse. It was me. It was my fault."

Unshed tears rimmed his eyes, pleading for absolution. She swallowed, letting her outrage recede, and said, "What matters is you are together now. This is your second chance to make right by them. Dwelling on the past won't change it. It would only hurt your chance at a future. Just… moved forward and love them the best you can."

His shoulder slackened, head dropping as he nodded vigorously. "I will. I promise."

"And I'll be around. I'll still be checking in on you." Her voice hardened.

"Thank you." He swiped at his nose, sniffing deeply. His eyes met hers once again as he pulled himself together. "You're good at this, at leading people."

"I'm just doing my job." Her finger unconsciously brushed against the gold of her badge clipped to her hip, solid and cold.

"No, I mean it. The townsfolk have been talking. They were impressed with you yesterday the way you helped people. They trust you." He said earnestly.

Emma licked her lips. "Can I ask you something?"

"Of course."

"What do you think of all this? The curse?"

Michael considered for a moment, "Like I said life on the other side was hard and I meant it. A lot of people were poor. There was war and disease. If my wife had gotten sick here, she would probably still be alive… I think that is why Ava doesn't want to be called Gretel. She remembers more of the hardships, more of her mother's sickness than Hansel does. She wants to leave all of that behind."

"You wouldn't go back if you had the chance?"

"We may not have a lot here." He gestured to his worn-out little house. "But it's more than we had. I can provide for my family here. My kids have a chance at an education. For me, and I think a lot of people would agree, we are better off in this world."

She absorbed his words, "And the person responsible for the curse, what do you think you should happen to her?"

"I can't speak for everybody but I like what you said. This is our second chance. I think that should apply to all of us."

"I hope you're right." Emma forced a smile though dread hollowed out her stomach.

Michael nodded, his eyes searched her with great interest and she knew what he was thinking about. The whole town must know by now how the curse came to be broken and Regina's integral role in that. She waited for him to gather his courage as he nervously tugged on his ear, his gaze casting downward, "Beside I've heard the Evil Queen also helped break the curse… Is that true?"

"Yes, it is." Emma nodded her affirmation and waited for his judgment, his face falling in horror or peeling up in disgust. But it never came.

Instead he slowly asked, "And she helped defeat that dragon woman?"

"She did."

Emma watched as he mulled over the information. Finally he gave her an affable grin, "Love certainly works in mysterious ways."

"Yes, yes it does." She extended her hand for him to shake. "It's been good talking to you Mr. Tillman."

"And you Sheriff." Emma began walking back down the drive then suddenly spun back around, an idea occurring to her.

"Actually, I have a request for you if you'd be willing."

"Anything." Mr. Tillman assented quickly.

"They are going to hold tribunal for Regina."

"I've heard that as well."

"So you know that the people will have a vote in addition to whoever the council is. I'd like for you to represent the people."

"You want me to cast the citizen's vote?" His voice and brows arched in surprise.

"Yes. But I want you to really talk to the other townsfolk to find out how they feel. I want the truth."

"And if the consensus is guilty?"

The feeling of the hollow pit inside her expanded, "Then that's the will of the people."

/

Emma crept down the steps into the dim apartment, jacket already on and boots in hand. She'd sat up in bed as the rest of the household settled into sleep. Now Henry had drifted off hours ago and the downstairs lights had extinguished over an hour ago and she couldn't stand another minute of waiting in the dark. She skipped the stair third from the bottom as it had a tendency to loudly creak, her heart thudding in her ears like she were making a daring escape. There was more to the palpitations than sneaking off into the evening however. It beat heavily in anticipation for her destination.

Avoiding direct thoughts of the white house on Mifflin Street and the woman who resided there was easy enough during the day with the distractions of work, her parents, and Henry; all vying for her attention. Regina never truly receded away though. In moments throughout the day, Emma could feel her, like she were just in the other room and all she had to do was open the door fast enough to find her waiting there. But tonight when the sun went down and Emma didn't have any demands on her, Regina dominated her mind.

Her emotions ranged from wanting to go and scream at the brunette to never wanting to see her again. And when the anger faded to just a dull sting, Emma wanted hear her voice and touch the curve of her waist and endlessly kiss her. All of this drove her forward to see Regina, the need pulsating at the surface. As she opened the door it whined softly, the light from the hall casting a beam of light into the room.

"Emma?" The frail voice of her roommate, groggy with slumber, froze her movements. She looked back over her shoulder to see Mary Margret squinting into the light, and then she pleaded, "Emma, don't go."

The blonde didn't answer. She turned away from her mother, her shadow eclipsing her as she stepped out of the home and continued her trek into the night.


	30. Regina's Story

The heavy crystal glass dangled haphazardly from her fingertips as she idly rocked it back and forth, watching the honey brown liquid slosh around the bottom. Regina sat slouched in the leather chair of her study, hand and glass hanging over the armrest. She could just let go of the tumbler to crash onto the mahogany floor and it would shatter into little jagged pieces and no one would care, least of all her. Her mood had only sunk further in the last couple of days.

She'd woken up the morning after her curse broke still curled up in Henry's bed with salt tracks on her cheeks. Her body automatically started getting ready for the day out of habit; brushing her teeth, showering, styling her hair and putting on a clean white button down. But that was as far as she had gotten until Regina realized she had nowhere to go except to wander the empty rooms of the mansion. Giving up on pretense, she ignored the pencil skirt she selected and slid on silky night shorts, which was how she remained, wallowing and waiting.

Regina expected Emma would have shown up at some point that next day with fresh clothes and maybe a fresh attitude but as the day inched onward and shadows crawled across the rooms creating the night the blonde never came. Today had been much the same as she felt each minute of solitude seep into her. Eventually she abandoned another depressing meal of toast and orange juice and retired to her office for a dinner of whiskey, the alcohol moving sluggishly through her veins and dimmed the ache.

Then through the dark, she heard a soft rapping from the front door. Her heart leapt to her throat, adrenaline flooded her and burned up the effects of the drinks she had. Her magic was still temperamental but it crackled unseen over her skin like a livewire. Then the person let herself in, a recognizable gait of riding boots sounding across the foyer relaxed her nerves and her body remembered assassins and rabid mobs didn't politely knock before entering. After a moment Emma appeared in the doorway, her blonde hair shone in the navy din, her slender frame familiar and concrete. Regina remained unmoved, not bothering to correct her unladylike posture and when she greeted the other woman her voice came out like dry ice. "So nice of you to grace us with your presence Ms. Swan."

Emma flicked up the light switch and her desk lamp popped on, illuminating the room half-heartedly. Regina glowered at the light and the woman but the sheriff remained undaunted as she sarcastically said, "I'm sorry if I've inconvenienced you but I have a lot going on, including dealing with dragon clean up and disappointing my long lost parents. So you'll have to excuse me your majesty."

Regina eyes adjusted to the light and she found Emma looking tired and withdrawn, features that most likely reflected her own. She walked in heading for the decanter of liquor and helping herself to a glass, whiskey splashed cheerfully into the bottom. As she did Regina couldn't repress her sneer, "What? Snow White is not-so-happy in the happily ever after?"

She looked sharply up at Regina, "Don't start. I'm not here to talk about my parents."

The brunette considered goading her further but remained mute, taking a bite of her own whiskey. Emma dropped herself onto the far end of the couch and drank a few swallows, her gaze wandered around the room. "Why are we always in here?"

Regina shrugged, "Would you like to go somewhere else?"

"No. No just an observation." Emma said lamely and Regina nodded. Much of whatever relationship was at this point they started in her study, beginning with their first shared drink when Emma returned Henry, then their first civil conversation, the first time they slept together, their first kiss and now. The walls lined with books had seen it all.

"So what will it be? Exile or a good old-fashioned beheading?" Regain asked about her fate.

Emma ignored her dark humor, "We won't know until after the tribunal with the high council."

"Hm." Regina made a noise of surprise. She thought they would have skipped over what was sure to be a sham of a trial all together; she figured it was just a matter of time.

The women lapsed into silence. Regina found herself releasing some of the tension and despair that had accumulated over her hours of isolation, letting Emma's presence be a comfort while she still could. Suddenly I thought occurred to her and she cringed all over again. "You should know, in the mental ward, some one needs to go-"

"I know." Emma interjected; her tone was dull and brooding. "Everyone is out. They're fine."

"Oh." Regina wanted to inquire about the specifics but Emma's demeanor stopped her. After another pause the other woman began speaking stiffly her voice rising a little with incredulous anger.

"Graham has been helping me at the Sheriff's station… Jesus Regina I thought he was dead. Do you how fucked up that is? He just showed up at the diner."

"I'm sorry. I don't have an excuse for you. I should have been the one to tell you- I'm just sorry for hurting you." Regina rubbed her temple, an ache blossoming there. In casting the curse she had hurt the people she care for most, but without casting the curse she would never have met them. Fate had a cruel sense of humor.

Emma leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees, "So what, was this your plan all along?"

Regina blinked. "What do you mean?"

"Having me fall in love with you. Was it your plan the whole time? You seduced Snow White's daughter as some twisted revenge and I'm just the naïve fool who falls for it?" Bitterness tainted her voice.

"No. No Emma, that was never the plan." Regina sighed, sitting up straighter. "The one thing I never could have planned for was you."

The blonde pause, her eyes searching Regina for answers, "Why did you do it? Cast the curse?"

"I'm the Evil Queen." She answered mockingly blithe.

"No, that's not why. I don't believe in all this 'you're evil' bullshit."

"Well you'd be wrong." Regina said darkly.

"I'm not." Emma said combatively. "Because I look at Henry and how good he is and I see you. His intelligence, passion, and how much he cares about other people and you raised him to be like that."

"You think I care about other people?"

"Admittedly, not a lot of other people." Emma scraped her nail around the rim of her cup, "I thought you cared about me."

Almost unbidden, Regina rasped, "I do."

She no longer had any reason to hide her true feelings. All of her emotions lapped on the surface, like a never-ending high tide sending wave after wave that she simply couldn't fight anymore. Emma scoffed. "You have a funny way of showing it. Trying to poison apple turnovers. I was headed out of town Regina. Why couldn't you just leave it?"

"I knew I should have let you go, but I couldn't stand the idea of you leaving. I just wanted you here in whatever capacity… I'm sorry."

"Seriously?" Emma barked a short, humorless laugh. "And I thought I needed to work on my communication skills… So why didn't you let me eat it?"

Regina drained her drink. "As much as I wanted to win… You were right that morning when you said that we were connecting. I guess I really do like you Ms. Swan."

"And all this True Love business. We just happened to be fated to be together?" Regina noted the slight tone of distain.

"Sorry you're stuck with me." She sarcastically toasted her empty glass to the sheriff.

"It's not that." Emma fidgeted. "I don't like the idea of this predetermined destiny. I mean, what are the odds; the Evil Queen and Snow White's daughter."

"There shouldn't have been any odds. It should be an impossibility." She conceded.

"How do you mean?"

Regina stood wearily and retrieved the fine crystal bottle, poured another dash of alcohol, and drawled out. "That is a long story."

"I'd like to hear it." Emma prompted as the older woman drew near to her to top off her glass.

"Well I suppose I should start at the beginning." Regina lowered herself onto the couch at the opposite end. The blonde shifted to face her, waiting uncomplainingly as Regina arranged the thoughts in her head. Eventually she took a deep breath and started her story.

It spilled out of her easily as she spoke of her cruel and demanding mother and her devoted but meek father who did nothing to reign in the torment through her childhood. Her mother used to shackle her with magic, leaving her suspended for days something until she promised to be a good girl. She had been terrified sometime growing up in a household with the threat of magic. Then she spoke of her first love affair with Daniel, the sweet young man who touched her life with goodness for a too-brief moment. Regina bitterly recounted her meeting with a child called Snow White and how it lead to her beloved's death at the vicious hands of her mother and her entrapment in a marriage with the much older king. She told Emma how miserable the marriage had been as she was forced to play the kindly mother to her stepdaughter and dutiful wife to her husband who grew more jealous and possessive of his beautiful young bride. She'd tried to escape the unhappiness with an apprenticeship with Rumplestiltskin, a demeaning and manipulative mentor, but the thrill of magic was too strong to resist. Still, in a particularly hopeless moment, she remembered standing in the highest room at the tallest tower in the lonely castle and wanting to end it all. Suddenly she had been plummeting through the sky and after the sickening jolt of panic an eerie calm came over her as she relaxed into the free fall.

"I was saved though by the Green Fairy. She happened to be flying by and caught me."

"Did you mean to do it?" Emma interrupted for the first time, her eyes glassy and mournful. "Did you mean to jump?"

"At the time, I said it was an accident, that I would never… But now, I can't say for sure. What started as an accident may have been a relief."

"I'm sorry that it came to that… I'm glad you're here now though." Emma said, honest and quiet.

Regina's heart fluttered, "Me too. It… may be wrong to say but I'm glad I didn't miss any of this."

The moment spiraled around them, summoning the memory of their first kiss, the influx in ions like an incoming storm brewed between them. Regina watched Emma's chest rise and fall beneath the green flannel of her shirt. The blonde spoke thickly, "What happened after the fairy saved you?"

"I guess she saw I needed help. She offered to help me find my True Love."

"How?"

"Pixie dust. Fairies and dwarves would mine this magically dust capable of all sorts of magic, including revealing one's True Love. She used it and we followed a trail to a tavern in the woods. He was there, my supposed True Love. So unless you were some broad shouldered bandit in the Enchanted Forest it very much wasn't you."

"Did you meet him?"

"No, I- I ran away. I was married to the king and I was still afraid of my mother. And I wasn't ready to let go of Daniel… I couldn't accept that someone else was out there for me. That was the night I truly devoted myself to learning the dark magic."

"Is he here? In town?"

"No, the part of the forest he lived wasn't in the boundaries of the Enchanted Forest. When I cast the curse, I made sure to leave Sherwood Forest behind. An insurance measure that I couldn't break the curse with True Love's kiss."

"So how did we then? Could the fairy's dust have been wrong?" Emma asked confused.

"I don't know. I'm not well versed in the magic of true love. The Blue Fairy might know something."

"God, does it even matter?" Emma ran an agitated hand through her hair. She looked at Regina fiercely, "What matters is what we decide to do. I don't give a shit about magically dust or fairies. What do you want?"

"What do I want?" Regina echoed. "I'm a prisoner in my own home. I don't think I have much say in any matter at the moment."

"Forget about all of that." She demanded. "I'm so _tired_ of the fighting. And I'm still hurt and angry and we would have to work through that… But you- we've had enough unhappiness for several lifetimes. Don't you think we deserve this chance?"

Regina couldn't register Emma's choppy speech for a moment. It had never occurred to her that at the end of this the younger woman would be there, practically asking her to choose this thing, this relationship that had sometimes been ugly and hard but then also so beautiful and tender, that they shared. Her expectation had been another fracture in her heart but instead she found it brimming with the possibilities of love. She choked out, "I should let you go… But I can't. I won't deny it. I want this. I want you Emma."

"Good." Her short response was quickly followed with Emma discarding her glass on the coffee table, the cylinder wobbled precariously in her haste as she closed the distance between them. The tumbler in Regina's own hand flew out of it, sailing over the rug and hitting the hardwood with a crash like a triumphant cymbal just as Emma's pressed their lips together. Regina hummed into the kiss, the same intense warmth she felt at their first kiss sparked and blazed with pleasure. Emma lashed her tongue out at her plump lower lip, her hand finding Regina's hip to tug her closer.

The brunette pressed her body into the other woman's the best she could from their seated arrangement, opening her mouth to take Emma inside her, sucking lighting on her tongue and making the woman groan deeply. Regina snaked her hand up Emma's torso, her fingers clutched at the collar of her shirt and yanked. They grabbed at each other with the desperation of desire; eventually ardent hands and pulling grasps caused them to topple off the couch, shoving the coffee table out of the way on their descent, and landed on the carpet below. Emma let out a small 'oof' as Regina landed on top of her but otherwise the women seamlessly adjusted to the new situation, lips never tiring in their heated exploration.

Emma rolled Regina over to switch their position, hovering overtop of her enough to unbutton her blouse. Her cool fingers glided over her abdomen, cupping her breast and scratching at the satiny fabric of her bra. Not to be outdone Regina rapidly undid Emma's shirt, pushing it away from her body to drag her hands down the firm and smooth biceps, appreciating the strength as Emma held herself up. They continued to disrobe each other, like tearing away the wrapping paper from presents, until they were both completely nude. The blonde moved her kisses downward to the thin, delicate skin of her neck and then to her breasts. Her tongue circled lazily around her nipple, and Regina rocked her hips languidly up into Emma's. With the devoted attention to her chest and the feel of Emma's naked form over her, the queen quickly felt the slick heat building between her legs.

The mouth on her breast sucked and flicked faster now and Regina groaned, her hips pushed more insistently upward as the wonderful little sparks teased over her skin. "Oh god, Emma. Please."

The blonde propped herself on one elbow, her right hand moved purposed to the crux between her legs, her fingers immediately skating through her arousal. Emma found Regina's lips once again, murmured reverently against them, "Jesus, you're so wet."

The words sent shivers throughout her body. "Please Emma. I need you inside me."

Emma moaned and pushed her tongue into Regina's mouth as two fingers did the same to her wanton sex. The brunette clutched at the shoulders above her and Emma thrust inside of her at a deliberate pace. Regina pressed her thigh upward between the younger woman's legs, her hands slid to grab her ass to hopefully help alleviate the pressure building there. Emma immediately began to grind herself against the toned flesh. They moved faster against each other, sweat began coating their skin with the effort. Emma suddenly curled her tongue against the roof of Regina's mouth and her fingers mimicked the action. Regina gasped as she wrenched her lips away for a moment, "Fuck, oh fuck. Em-ma."

Her walls around Emma's fingers clenched violently, her orgasm spilling over them, their lips bumping into each other in a forgotten kiss. The pleasure burst over her like fireworks flaring blue copper and silver magnesium in her veins as she vaguely felt Emma riding her thigh more purposefully. The other woman's arousal smeared against her as she worked to steal her own orgasm. Emma stiffened against her, moaning the gratification of her release while Regina floated down from her high with a pleasant static feeling encompassing her. Their labored breathing steadied, lips met clumsily against one another's unhurriedly as they came back to the present. Emma extracted herself from Regina as she relaxed, wet fingers brushed against the crest of her pelvis.

With her senses mostly returned, Regina sat up and wrapped her arms around Emma's waist, the blonde shifting to straddle her hips. The brunette kissed the freckles on her collarbone and nuzzled her neck while Emma gently scratched her scalp, holding Regina close but wanting nothing more. They basked in the calm after their flurry of activity. Regina whispered into her skin. "This isn't going to be easy."

"Seemed pretty easy to me." Emma said wryly.

Regina smirked but said, "I'm serious."

"I know." Emma pulled her head back gently so she could look into Regina's eyes, her hand cupped Regina's jaw. "But isn't it worth it to try."

"Yes." She said simply before Emma kissed her again.


	31. Choices

Emma woke up feeling weightless; the plush mattress nearly suspending the effects of gravity and the white downy comforter draped over her like a cloud. Enfolded in her arms lay a supple figure, her bare back pressed alluring into Emma's naked front. She gently squeezed her bedmate tighter, pressing her nose into silky dark locks. Regina hummed and entwined their fingers together in a moment of peace. Cracking her eyes open against the pale light of the room, Emma ready the time on the round alarm clock sitting on the stand.

"Shit." She cursed realizing it was after 9:00 and breakfast would have already been started at the Charming household. The tenderness of the morning faded too soon.

"What is it?" Regina groused.

"It's 9:15. I should head back." Emma said with a sigh. "Mary Margret is going to flip and Henry will be up."

Regina perked up at the name of her son. Having turning around she asked almost timidly, "Henry, how is he?"

"He's… fine. I think he's just excited about the curse breaking." Emma tried to be diplomatic. She then remembered the first night they'd spent together, his quiet confession in the dark. "He was afraid sleeping away from home that first night. And he is afraid for you. He said he doesn't want anyone to hurt you."

"He said that?" Her voice tinged with doubt and hope.

"Yes. Regina you're still his mother."

"I'm not so sure about that anymore."

Emma kissed her shoulder, "He may be hurt right now but that doesn't mean you guys can't fix your relationship. Just give him time."

"That's very optimistic of you."

"Yes, well I'm hoping forgiveness and understanding is going around so Mary Margret won't stay mad at me forever." Emma chuckled, sitting up and Regina finished turning on her side to face her, propping her head up with her hand.

She smiled sympathetically up at her, her eyes shaded with sadness. "She is upset about us."

The blonde exhaled heavily. "Among other things. She doesn't understand why I'm not overjoyed to be reunited with them. I think she expects me to be the infallible Savior or maybe some perfectly benevolent princess but finding out who my parents are doesn't change how I grew up alone. It doesn't change who I am."

"Snow has always had a habit of letting her perception get in the way of reality." Regina acknowledged. "You've accomplished so much just as you are Emma. Stubborn and quick-tempered and brave and kind… You're extraordinary."

"I don't feel extraordinary." Her gaze shied away from Regina.

The brunette tilted her chin for their eyes to meet again. "Well you are Sheriff."

"Thank you." Emma smiled fainted. But she bit her lip and reluctantly added, "I was thinking that maybe we should try to see the Blue Fairy today."

The statement was met up an arced eyebrow. "Why? I thought you said it didn't matter."

The idea had been one of the last concrete thoughts Emma had before drifting off to sleep curled around Regina and it persisted this morning. "Look I don't really want to talk to her. Nuns give me the creeps."

"And I have the same feelings about fairies so count me out."

"Please Regina, it's not about questioning the validity our relationship. It's just… Gold is still missing in action so I can't figure out what he is up to yet. I have questions about magic. And yes, I have questions about true love but I just want to have a better understanding of all of this. I can't sit around and do nothing."

The woman considered the proposal with a hardened expression. Emma stroked her brow to smooth away the wrinkle of worry that had appeared and her face softened. "You're right."

"You are forgetting the tiny detail of my house arrest." Regina said as she sat up, twisting her wrists in front of herself as if in handcuffs.

"As sheriff I think I can get you a day pass." Emma glanced distracted at the clock again. "I really should go."

"Hmm, well at least let me give you a goodbye kiss." Regina's eyes began to roam suggestively over her exposed chest. Emma leaned in to accept her kiss but her lips met with the other woman's fingertips instead. The brunette purred, pecking her lips just below her ear, "Not there."

She urged Emma to lie back on the pillows, dropping kisses lower and lower down her body making her forget about her plans to leave entirely.

/

Three set of eyes peered at her as she entered the shared apartment much later than she intended. Henry sat at the dining table with a notebook while Snow and David cleaned the breakfast dishes. The woman at the sink took in her disheveled appearance and grimaced. She doesn't say anything, just drops the sudsy sponge into the sink, pulling off the yellow rubber gloves that snapped angrily with her movements. Marching across the room, she breezed passed without so much as a glance at her and snatched her coat off the rack.

David wiped his hands hastily on a dishtowel and tries to quickly follow her, "Snow, wait."

The door has already slammed shut though. He passes Emma with an apologetic shrug as he chases his wife out into the hall. She exhaled, rubbing the back of her neck. While her mother's reaction was not ideal, at least there hadn't been shouting; it was to early in the morning to be yelled at. She turned her attention to Henry, who watched the exchange with an inquisitive stare. Giving him a strained smile, Emma said, "Hey kid. How's it going?"

"Okay." But like his mother he skipped the pleasantries. "Were you at my mom's?"

"I was." Emma came to sit across from him. "She was worried about you."

"Why?" His face scrunched up.

"She just wants to know you're safe Henry. Everything has changed and that can be scary." She said.

"I am safe with you. You're the Savior." He chirped confidently.

"It's more just physical safety Henry. It's about knowing that you're happy and hoping to be apart of that."

He gave her a mini scowl. "But she lied to me and did bad things. She's evil."

Emma considered his words. Thinking of all the conversations she'd had and the moments of contemplation from over the last few days, she tried to present Henry a different idea than his strict good versus evil dichotomy. "Nicholas and Ava lied and stole. They did bad things. Do you think they're evil?"

"No." Her son sounded slightly offended. "They just were in a bad situation. They needed to do those things to survive."

"You're right but they still made bad choices. They could've asked for help but they didn't." Emma watched his pensive expression. "Your book doesn't tell you about your mom's side of the story. She was in some bad situations and made bad choices but that doesn't mean we can't help her make good ones now."

"Yeah maybe… I need to think about it." Henry said as he drew a random line down the paper with his pencil to avoid her gaze.

"That's okay, think about it and let me know when you're ready to see your mom. She'll always be there for you."

"Okay… So she really is your True Love?"

"I think so kid, yeah. But it's more than Regina just happened to be my true love." Emma tried to explain it to him the best she could. "I'm sure we'll have more stuff to work through but your mom and I are going to try to be together because we're choosing to. I want to be with your mom. Do you think that is something you could be okay with?"

He continued to doodle on his page and replied slowly. " Yeah, I think could be good. I think you'd be good for her."

"And she'd be good for me." She grinned with relief. He was always wise beyond his years.

But he added warily, "Gran is unhappy about it."

"Yeah she is." Emma agreed. "But we're not doing this to make her unhappy. You can't help who you fall for Henry. And I can't ignore how I feel for her sake. It wouldn't be fair."

"Do you think she'll always be upset?"

"I hope not kid… but don't worry about it, okay?" Emma reassured. "No matter what happens between me and Snow you can always see her and David."

"Good, because David promised me he'd teach me how to ride a horse and sword fight."

"Did he now?"

"Well, he said we would have to check with you first." Henry admitted, his voice lilting up imploringly.

"I'll talk to your mom. You know, it sounds like she was a really expert rider when she was younger."

"Really? Why doesn't she ride now?"

"I can't say. Maybe she'll tell you some day." Emma stood, realizing the morning was quickly passing and they needed to get moving. "How about you hang out with me for the day?"

"Awesome!" Henry said jubilantly.

"I have something right after lunch but it will only be a couple hours. I'll see if you can hang out with Ruby then. Sound good?"

"Sounds good!" Henry flipped his notebook shut and ran off to get ready for the day. Emma couldn't help but grin at his excitement, feeling his enthusiasm through each thump of his footsteps ascending the stairs and allowing herself to sink back into the light, cottony memory of waking up with Regina.


	32. Restringing Fate

Mother Superior glowered at her from across the table, hands folded tightly on her lap. Regina returned the glare with equal fervor. If the sewing machine situated between them were capable of conscious thought, it would be trembling in fear.

After Emma had left, Regina took her time to prepare for the day. She painted her face with dark eyeliner and blood red lips, a little more Evil Queen than Madame Mayor. Her dramatic turtleneck sweater and gray wool suit helped her feel more herself, her nerves annoyingly riled at the prospect of leaving the relative safety of her home. Of course, she wouldn't let anyone see that weakness.

Lunchtime came and went quickly. Then a little after one o'clock Emma showed up as promised in her puttering Volkswagen to collect her. The sheriff had put more effort into appear official, leaving her red leather at home in favor of a brown bomber jacket and a pale blue button down tucked into dark jeans. The two women had been quiet and pensive on the short ride over and when finding the head nun's office. Regina had gotten some satisfaction out of the shrill and incensed greeting the fairy had given her upon finding her outside her door. Emma settled her down and the nun insisted they find a more secluded place to talk, which was how they ended up in the empty craft room.

Bolts of fabric and sewing machines laid about on long tables for the nuns to make quilts or clothing. Baskets of yarn lined the walls, speared with knitting needles waiting for nimble hands to return. High windows showed blue skies and puffs of white clouds, the blanket of gray had receded and allowed warm yellow sunlight to shine through. The Blue Fairy toyed with her stiff scalloped collar, "I still don't think she should be out. Does your mother know about this?"

Emma rolled her eyes. "No, since I'm an adult and the sheriff it didn't occur to me to run it by her."

The woman insisted, "She's dangerous."

"What do you think she is going to do?" The blonde asked impatiently.

"She could... rip out your heart!" She proclaimed impassionedly.

"Could you?" Emma looked over at her curiously.

Regina shrugged. "I don't know. I haven't tried in quite some time."

"Right… Regina do you promise not rip out anyone's heart?"

"Sure." Her manner was cavalier in a way that horrified the nun.

"Regina." The blonde said sternly but Regina could see the disguised amusement in her eyes.

She smirked and held up her hand sarcastically as if taking an oath. "I promise not to rip out any hearts."

"Great. You see. She promises." Emma acted as if the matter was settled. "Now we have questions about-"

"Starting without me?"

"What is _he_ doing here?" The Blue Fairy jumped from her seat, backing away from the sharply dressed man standing in the doorway.

A glance at Emma showed that she was as surprised by his appearance as Regina was; her posture tilted forward defensively and brow lowered in disapproval. The brunette tensed but maintained her imperiously bored expression. He walked further into the room, his cane clacked lightly with each step, "Sorry to drop in unannounced but I thought I'd come say hello."

"You've been a hard man to find Gold." Emma said tersely.

"Yes, well I've been catching up with an old friend. Perhaps you know her Regina?" He baited.

But Regina just sniffed disinterestedly, "You'll have to be more specific."

"I'll give you a hint. You had her locked away for 28 years." His voice ended in a growl.

"It's not like I killed your precious Belle." Regina dropped her pretense and reminded him. "And it was your curse that made her an amnesia patient with violent tendencies. It was almost like you wanted to forget all about her."

"Watch yourself Regina. You don't know what you're talking about." He warned lowly.

"Oh don't I? You had a lot of reflective surfaces in your home Rumple and if you remember I've always been quite proficient with mirror magic." It had been a favored method of spying on her enemies.

"I protected my mirrors. You wouldn't have been able to use them."

"Ha! I didn't need mirrors. A polished candelabra, a glass clock face, the shine of a tea cup…" Regina watched the fury stacking darkly in his eyes. "You were the one who wouldn't let go of your darkness for her. You turned her away."

He grit his teeth. "You'll regret this. I promise you that."

"Threaten her again and you'll regret it. I promise _you_ that." Emma threw back his words and drew his attention to her.

"Ah, Ms. Swan." His beady eyes roamed over the blonde, entirely nonplussed by her warning. "The triumphant Savior who broke the curse and slay the dragon. I must say I didn't see this coming and normally I see everything."

He wagged a finger between Emma and Regina. The older woman cast her gaze to Emma. The blonde was ready to meet her eyes expectantly and they shared a contemplative look. Without speaking Regina knew what she was considering; whether it would be prudent to talk about their true love with the man present, the same thought turning over in her mind. Emma swung her legs around the institutional plastic chair so she faced Regina. She leaned in and murmured quietly in her ear, sending an unintentional shiver down her spine, "Do you trust him enough?"

No." Regina whispered flatly though continuing with a sigh, "But I don't trust her either."

She spared the haughty fairy another glare over Emma's shoulder. Keeping their heads bent together Emma asked, "I mean, what could he do if he knew about the tavern-in-the-woods guy?

"I wouldn't want to find out…" Regina's lips were nearly brushing against Emma ear. "He might know something though and the playing field is more even here."

"Come, come ladies enough with the secrets." Rumple said peevishly. "Let's get on with it."

The women drew away from each other and Emma nodded to her in support. Regina shifted in her seat, crossing her ankles before beginning. "In the Enchanted Forest the Green Fairy helped me-"

"An action that lost Tinkerbelle her wings. She had not business helping you." The Blue Fairy cut in.

"Tinkerbelle was the fairy that saved you? Like from Peter Pan?" Emma's voice rose with incredulity. "But that's not even a real fairy tale."

"You'll find Ms. Swan that there are many realms besides our own. Pan, Frankenstein, Sherlock, Greek Gods, they may just be stories here but someplace else they're a reality." Mr. Gold said.

"If I could continue…" Regina paused for further interruptions but the room fell silent. "Tinkerbelle used pixie dust to help me. We followed it to find a man in the woods, glowing as if he were my True Love. It was definitely not Emma."

Emma asked the nun, "Could Tinkerbelle have been wrong?"

"As inept as Tink was, pixie dust is fool proof. I've never seen it be wrong and I can't imagine it was wrong then."

"So we're not True Loves?"

"Oh I wouldn't say that." Rumplestiltskin stared at them unnervingly, his eyes twitched between the two of them like they were rare birds he'd trapped in a cage, "Your kiss wouldn't have broken the curse if you weren't. It appears you've restrung fate. Quite an impressive bit of magic Ms. Swan."

"I don't know how to do magic."

"Maybe not but you're teeming with it." He narrowed his sights on Emma. "I can sense it, so powerful, so enticing…"

"Don't even think about it." Regina hissed and stood from her seat, a ball of fire igniting in her hand creating a small roaring sound of the flames consuming oxygen. She'd seen that glint in the man's eye before, nefarious and wanton for something he wished to possess. "Touch a hair on her head and I'll end you."

He giggled. "I think you believe that."

"Okay, Regina, relax. And can you put that out until we're somewhere less flammable." Emma glanced around the room at the dust motes and starchy, dry piles of fabric, and then nervously back at the angry fire she held. Closing her fist, it extinguished with a flourish of grey smoke and she settled back into her chair with a scowl. The magic she performed was little more than a parlor trick but she could feel her power building back up though different than the darkness that she had been addicted to in the other realm; both of those things comforted her.

"So how could I have done magic with knowing how?"

"As Regina and Blue can tell you, magic is emotion. And it would seem you've got some very strong emotions regarding our fair Queen." Rumple said.

"Emma chose me as her True Love and her magic made it so…" The mayor considered this. Altering destiny and threads that tied soul mates together, would take an almost impossible amount of magic. She looked at Emma who couldn't fully comprehend the scope of what she had done.

Rumple tapped into her thoughts. "Don't sell yourself short your Majesty. I don't think she could have done it alone. I assume you're magic would have equally chosen the Sheriff here."

"Do you think all of this is possible?" Regina directed her question at the nun.

"Love is the most powerful and mysterious magic. Nothing is impossible in regards to it." Blue stated with wary resolution.

"I still don't understand how." Emma muttered raking her fingers through her hair.

"Sometimes magic is just that Ms. Swan: magic." He spun his cane. "Well this has been illuminating but I must really be going now."

"Wait I have questions about what you did to the town." Emma protested.

"Worry not. The magic I brought came from true love. Your parents' true love as a matter of fact. It's not at all harmful."

"But why?"

"That is for me to know and you to find out when I cash in my favor."

Regina bristled, turning sharply to Emma. "I told you not to make any deals with him."

"It was before the curse broke. I didn't know." Emma said defensively. "I thought he'd want me to get rid of a few parking tickets or something."

"I'll be in touch. And remember what I said Regina." He departed, leaving the sinister implication to hover in the room. Emma rested her elbows on her knees and rubbed her forehead. The brunette remembered her normally strong frame crumpled on the floor of her foyer and the overwhelming urge to comfort the blonde. She imagined that magic was still difficult for her to accept. Regina reached out and placed her hand gingerly on her slumped shoulder. Emma didn't look but she placed her hand over Regina's, squeezing it lightly.

"I think it's time you get back her back to that house." Mother Superior suggested coldly and with one last withering stare she primly walked out into the hall with brisk little steps.

"We should go. I left Henry with Ruby at the diner. I need to pick him up soon."

Regina nodded as they stood and headed toward the exit.


	33. Sister Astrid

Emma had a lot to digest from their outlandish meeting. Her minimal understanding of magic made the conversation sound even less feasible. She started to feel nauseous, the sensation sat thickly in the back of her throat, as she was overwhelmed with the improbability of it all. Regina had been there though; her touch simple but grounding and the feeling gratefully ebbed away.

As she walked with Regina down the hall of the nunnery back to the exit, they caught up with Mother Superior who had been stopped by a tall, willowy woman with skittish doe eyes and a sloping nose. She had been apparently waiting on bench for the head nun. Emma recognized the blue overcoat as that of a Sister but the woman didn't wear the regulation tweed skirt, instead donning jeans and a pink, too-fuzzy sweater underneath it. Next to her sat a shabby gray suitcase, squat and obvious.

"What is this Nova?" The fairy asked tiredly, pinching the bridge of her nose.

The woman straightened her posture and with wavering bravado announced. "Blue, I'm leaving the convent."

Emma tugged Regina's sleeve indicating for her to stop to observe the exchange. The Blue Fairy scoffed, "You will do no such thing. Get your things back to the dormitory."

"No, I don't want to be here." Nova said more firmly. "And you can't keep me here."

"Nova-"

"It's Astrid." She corrected.

"Astrid." Blue said with little patience. "You're just confused with the curse breaking-"

"I'm not confused by the curse breaking. In fact I see more clearly than I ever have before." Her anger gathered steam. "The other Sisters told me what happened in the Enchanted Forest."

Blue stiffened but feigned innocence. "I don't know what you mean."

"The Queen didn't take away my happy ending it was you. You convinced Dreamy not to meet me that night when we were to run away together and it broke my heart. We were going to be happy."

"I was looking out for you; for your dream to be a fairy godmother."

"Then why after all that time was I still just a fairy dust carrier? The truth was you needed workers in your mine pulling up that damn dust and you couldn't let people know they had another choice to do something besides your bidding so you stopped us." Astrid accused her harshly.

The head nun became flustered, stuttering, "That's not- I wouldn't-"

"Whatever your reasoning was I'm still going." She said with finality.

The other woman grasped at straws. "Your vows. You can break your vows to the church."

"We're not really nuns." Astrid said. "Those vows are just an invented memories. And now there is no pixie dust or wands or wings so we're not really fairies. I'm just a person and I'm going to go find what is out there for me."

"I won't allow it." Her tone turned dark.

"I will." Emma spoke up and stepped forward with enough of the picture painted for her that she really didn't like the Blue Fairy. The quarreling women turned in surprise to find that they were being observed. "She wants to leave and you can't stop her."

"You can't- this isn't any of your business." Blue responded indignantly.

Pushing her coat back and placing her hand on her hip, Emma revealed the glinting star badge clipped on her jeans, "I think this is my business. And we'll all be going now."

Mother Superior furrowed her sculpted brow, her lips pursed with contained anger. Her high cheekbones and button nose flushed red before she turned on her heel to stomp away, her sensible heels clipped with rage at her departure.

"You know she is going to call your mother." Regina said dryly from her side.

"Yeah well I'll deal with that later." Emma huffed. "Come on."

Leading the two other women, the sheriff escorted them from the building onto the little sunny patch of green lawn in front of the gray stone convent. Under the slender shadow of a bare oak tree they stopped to convene with one another. Once out of the intimidating halls, Astrid looked lighter as she gave Emma a wide smile showing off too many teeth. "Thank you Sheriff. I appreciate you standing up for me."

"No problem Sister, or I suppose not Sister anymore."

"Just Astrid is fine."

"Do you have anywhere to go? We could take you or help you find a place to stay." Regina asked, eyeing the looming edifice with distrust.

The former nun turned her face up into the sunshine, squinting and still smiling, "I think I'd like to walk. I've already talked to Granny Lucas. She's letting me stay at the inn and work in the diner until I can get on my feet, your Majesty."

"Just Regina is fine."

"Regina then. Sheriff Swan. Thank you again." She swung the suitcase a little as she started off down the sidewalk toward the center of town.

"Don't hesitate to call the station if you need anything." Emma called after her. Astrid turned back with at that to nod in recognition and a wave goodbye, smiling her broad grin. Emma gave her a solitary wave, watching the newly liberated woman continue her journey.

As Emma and Regina climbed into the car, the blonde noted, "You know I don't think the Blue Fairy is very nice."

Regina chuckled, "Very astute of you."

"How she is considered one of the heroes is beyond me." She grumbled.

"I suppose the victors get to write history." Regina distractedly gazed at the scenery pass by as the bug rolled down the street.

"That doesn't make it true though."

Her head swiveled to look at Emma with sincere the question, "Doesn't it?"

"You heard what Astrid said. You didn't take away her happy ending. Some people know the truth isn't quite so black and white."

"Will it be enough though?" Regina asked, obviously in the mindset that it wouldn't be enough to save her. Emma felt the older woman's mood sink further into a foreboding gloomy space.

"I… don't know. Regina I know you haven't been a saint but no one in this town is without sins of the past." Emma promised. "I'm doing everything I can to make sure you have a fair trial."

"If you think that this tribunal will be fair you're as naive and idiotic as your parents." Regina muttered with a cruel bite. Emma hardened against the sting of her words, an irate slant angled her brow.

"It's not my fault you threw a hissy fit and condemned an entire town to misery. At least I'm trying." The blonde let her annoyance take control.

"Well maybe you shouldn't be trying." Regina crossed her arms.

"Are you serious?" Emma jammed her foot a bit too roughly on the break as she made an abrupt stop in front of Regina's house. The brunette jolted forward before her seat belt locked and stopped her from fall into the dashboard. The centers of Regina's irises glowed nearly orange with fury.

"Yes, I'm serious. This is clearly an exercise in futility. In what world could we ever be together?"

This was escalating but Emma felt powerless to stop the hemorrhaging anger that spilled from them. She spat out, "So what, last night was all just bullshit?"

"A moment of weakness." The brunette's features were twisted with disgust.

Emma laughed sardonically, "You're right Regina. I am idiotic to think that you could ever actually be capable of loving someone. You're not evil. You're just pathetic and cruel."

"Fuck you." She snarled.

"No fuck you Regina. Get out, I have to go pick up my son." Emma turned away from the other woman; she didn't want her to see the tears pricking her eyes or the tremble in her lip. She clenched her jaw almost painfully to keep her emotions at bay. Regina didn't linger long. She threw herself out of the car, slamming the heavy metal door with resounding force. Emma wasted no time in shifting the car into gear and hit the accelerator nearly to the floor, the tires peeling from the curb raucously as she fled.


	34. Creating the Impossible

Two text messages sent her out on another excursion into the night.

 **Could you come over tonight?**

 **Please.**

Her cell phone chimed in quick succession, the blue glow of the screen like a beacon on her nightstand. The hour was late but Emma had already been awake, staring at the cracks in the ceiling. Her thoughts were back on the merry-go-round of spinning emotions; her anger for Regina smoldered like an ember in her chest. But she also liked to think she knew the mayor well at this point and could conjecture her words, while rash and mean, came from a place of fear. It had Emma regretting her own heated phrases that she tossed at Regina. With intimate closeness, came the knowledge of the others weakness. It had been easy to revert back to what they excelled at: hurting each other.

Henry sensed that something had been wrong when Emma showed up at Granny's with red eyes and a sour mood. She tried her best hide it, and managed to rally a little when sharing steaming mugs of hot cocoa with him. Her son didn't push for answers though, for which she was grateful. She caught a little bit more luck when they headed home for dinner and Mary Margret had been non-confrontational verging on desperately bubbly as they all sat down and had a meal together.

While she preferred not to argue with her parents, this new coping mechanism of persistent, on-the-precipice of manic cheerfulness was unnerving. Even David had seemed unsure of her eerie Stepford wives' attitude, glancing at his wife warily from time to time over the extravagant roast she cooked. Emma and Henry unanimously elected to retire as early as possible to escape the weirdness of the downstairs. The young boy read comics, occasionally showing her some of his favorite panels, until his eyelids began to droop and sleep claimed him easily so that she was a little jealous. Emma tidied his comics so they wouldn't be ruined; stacking them neatly back in the suitcase Regina had packed for him and left in her car that afternoon.

She had bought some clothes for Henry but Emma knew he was glad to have some of his normal things with him. The soft snuffling sounds of his sleep only provided her comfort for so long until her mind delved into playing back her fight with Regina on repeat. Then the messages came. Stubbornly, part of her wanted to ignore them and hold onto the hurt for a bit longer but her heart protest vehemently. For all the pain that had been inflicted, Emma knew that the only remedy would be talking with Regina, like using a snake's own poison in the antidote.

She was out of bed and leaving the apartment quickly without a second thought. If her slumbering parents woke up this time to her departure she was unaware of it. Emma tried not to think too much as she navigated to the manor, walked up the moonlight cobblestones, and started up the grand staircase; the gravitational pull that seemed to dictate all her interactions with Regina led her to the other woman's bedroom like she were a planet that didn't know any other path to travel. As she stepped into the open doorway, Emma saw Regina sitting on the edge of her bed facing the window. The room was unlit, the shear, white curtains illuminated by the moon, the brunette's form silhouetted against them.

Emma slowly entered but Regina didn't turn to look at her even as she sat at the bottom of the bed, the mattress dipping under her weight. She could just make out the other woman's profile, highlighted silver and sad. It took her breath away how beautiful she was. Finally, Regina spoke, her voice low and smoky, "The moon was so much bigger in the Enchanted Forest, closer like you could reach it from the treetops."

"Sounds lovely."

"It was."

"Do you miss it at all? The Enchanted Forest?"

"A little yes. But mostly no." Regina looked at her lap. "This is my home now. All my memories with Henry are here. And you. And… I don't want to lose it."

"Who says you will?"

Regina finally turned to look at her with tears threatening to spill from her eyes, "Let's be realistic Emma. When they find me guilty-"

Emma interjected obstinately, "If they find you guilty."

"If. When. It's doesn't matter. The point is the most likely outcome of a guilty verdict is exile. And that is a fact you need to face."

"I know it's a possibility." Emma's voice rose with false anger. "But I can't think about it right now because the idea of you leaving… it breaks my heart. It just can't happen. I won't let it happen."

"You might not have a choice." Regina nearly whispered.

"If they force you out, I'll go with you. We'll take Henry and start someplace new." She declared.

"Henry wouldn't want to go. And your parents are here. I know you're still upset with them but in leaving you'd never have the chance to mend that relationship." Regina said. "And if not your parents, your life is here. You're good at being sheriff and helping people and killing dragons. You belong here in Storybrooke."

"You belong here too." She put her hand over top of Regina's. The brunette made a little noise of disbelief. Emma went on, "I'm serious. You built this town, maybe not with the best intentions, but you made it. And whether people realize or not you've taken care of everyone all these years."

"You really are too good sometimes." The mayor said with a touch of awe.

"I think we both know that isn't the case."

"That just makes you all the better."

Emma blushed. "Look, let's get through this trial and we'll figure everything out when as we need to."

"Okay." The other woman agreed with a resigned, tired smile.

"In the meantime, how about we stop lashing out at each other? I'm not saying we'll never fight again because, I mean, we're still us, but we have to stop trying to hurt each other."

Regina twisted to face her fully now and cupped her cheek, her eyes pooled with remorse. "I'm sorry about early. I shouldn't have said those things."

"I'm sorry too. I reacted badly." Emma shifted closer to her. "If you're scared or need space or whatever, just tell me. You don't have to push me away."

"I think I only know how to push people away."

"You asked in what world we could ever be together."

"Emma-" Regina shook her head and started to pull away at her reminder.

She caught her wrist before she could slip away entirely. "No Regina. You were right. By all accounts we shouldn't be together. It should be impossible. And I don't really understand how but we created the world where we are supposed to be together."

"I don't understand it either." Regina rested her forehead against her own. "But I wouldn't want it to be anyone but you."

"Me too." Emma said before she pressed their lips together and whatever lingering doubt faded away. They kissed slowly, lips caressed like leaves rustling in the breeze, gentle and unhurried. They continued their leisurely pace even as Regina unzipped her sweater and removed her tank top. Emma peeled the silky nightdress from the curves in front of her. The brunette urged her to lie down at the head of the bed. She rolled bottoms off her legs so they were both exposed completely. Emma reached to pull the other woman back down but Regina shook her head, "Just let me touch you."

Emma shivered and relaxed into the pillows, watching as Regina knelt upright between her legs and lifted one up to kiss her ankle. She peppered kisses up her calf to her knee that was almost completely covered over with deep red and purple scabs from falling to the pavement. The older woman inspected the rough patches closely, "Does it hurt?"

"Not really. They're a little stiff in the morning."

Regina brushed her lips tenderly against the wounded skin. Then treated her other leg the same. She made a trail of love bites up her thighs but skipped over the heat that was building between them. Her tongue painted delicate patterns across her hipbones and stomach; the attention was divine as the woman moving above her tried to leave no patch of skin untouched. Emma hummed and moaned feeling content to let her arousal simmer. Plush lips pressed against each of her fingertips and teeth scraped softly against her biceps as she mindlessly stroked Regina's back. The brunette sucked a nipple into her mouth, laving her tongue around the bud. Her breathing hitched, arcing her chest out into the sensation. Emma whimpered, "Please, more."

Complying with the request, Regina finally slid her hand to Emma's center, her fingers skating through the thick wetness there, dragging it up to rub circles over her clit. The pleasure vibrated lowly as if a current of electricity circuited through her. Moving her attention from her sensitive bud, two fingers slowly pushed inside of her swollen sex and Emma groaned, her leg hooked around Regina's hip as she thrust steadily. Their lips found each other again as her need for release became more insistent. Regina moved inside her a little quicker, pressed more firmly, and curled more purposefully.

"Oh god, yes. Regina." Emma's orgasm ambled through her decadently like flowing champagne, the bubbles fizzling against her skull. She still felt a little drunk on pleasure when Regina fell off of her, pulling the blonde into her side and wrapping her arms around her shoulders. Emma nestled her face into her neck, lazily lapping the skin there and hand kneading her breast with the intention of returning the favor as soon as she could muster up the energy. But Regina pulled her hand away, sliding it so it rested on her back. "It's late. We should sleep."

"You're sure?" She asked a little disappointed.

"Yes I'm sure. I'm so tired." And she did sound drained. Accepting the answer, she briefly sat up to retrieve the comforter that had been crumpled at the bottom of the bed and settled back against Regina. The quiet of the night folded around them. After a pause, Emma spoke words into Regina's skin, as if trying to brand her with a promise.

"Regina, I'm going to fight for you."

"I've seen you run into fire twice for me. I know you will." The brunette kissed her forehead.

Another small length of silence and Emma's voice ventured out again. "Regina?"

"Yes?""

"Can you turn into a dragon?"

She chuckled lightly, "Go to sleep or you'll find out."


	35. A Fairy and a Dwarf

Waking up with her head on Regina's chest and fingers combing through her hair was the best way to start the morning Emma decided, or at least top five. Unfortunately, it didn't last long. The other woman had woke her as the sun barely brushed the treetops, telling her in a drowsy, sotto voice that she should head back home to prevent the wrath of her mother. As much as she wanted to protest, Emma knew she was right. While Mary Margret seemed fine last night, she knew that mood was tenuous. Another late morning entrance could definitely spoil it.

So they extracted themselves from the comfort of the warm bed and dressed with sleep-clumsy limbs in the still night covered room. Regina walked with her downstairs; standing back with her arms crossed to watch Emma stumbled into her boots with vague adoration. Flipping her blonde waves out of her leather jacket, she asked her voice quiet as if to not wake the house, "I'll come by later tonight?"

"No, I think you should be with Henry tonight." Regina cast her eyes down. "He might be nervous about the trial tomorrow."

"What about you?" Emma worried about the woman ghosting around the large, empty manor alone.

"I'll be fine."

"I could- I could bring him with me." She offered tentatively.

"No." Regina said a little too emphatically. "I mean, no. I wouldn't want to force him to see me if he's not ready… Do you think he is?"

Not wanting to definitively say no Emma balked slightly, "I'm not sure. I haven't asked. That is we haven't talked about it-"

"It's okay Emma. Just let him know he's always welcome home."

"He knows Regina. I'll make sure he knows."

"Thank you."

"You're sure you don't want me to come over tonight?"

"I'm sure." Regina reached for Emma's waist, drawing them closer together. "I don't want you to come over tonight because it will just feel like saying goodbye."

"Regina don't. Don't talk like that." Emma felt her face crumple with the sudden grief-stricken thought. Suddenly this felt like a goodbye.

"I'm not saying it would be. I just want to be able to say I'll see you tomorrow. Please don't think about it too much."

"Okay." Emma sighed and put her arms around Regina's shoulders, pulling her even closer so their noses brushed against each other. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Tomorrow." Regina smiled brightly despite everything and looked at her coyly through thick lashes. They kissed gingerly and unrushed, trying to hold onto the last bit of the morning together. When they separated, the brunette said impishly, "Now go princess before your parents find out you've left your tower."

Emma groaned at the joke. "Please don't call me that."

"We'll see." Regina pecked her lips one last time and stepped back. Emma had to put a concerted effort in not following her. "Have a good day Ms. Swan."

"You too Madam Mayor." Emma grinned, walking backwards until she thumped against the door. She then sheepishly slipped out into the cold with the last glimpse of Regina in her robe, mildly mussed from sleep and naturally beautiful as the first touch of sunrise poured into the foyer.

The sheriff walked briskly down the sidewalk, the grass on the undisturbed lawns pale with frozen dew coating each blade. Her breathing clouded in enchanting white puffs. It was satisfying to see the production of each exhalation, she dragged the cold air leisurely into her lungs and watch the amorphous cloud form and dissolve in the morning. Her body was warmed from being wrapped around Regina all night, like they had created some kinetic energy that seeped into her. The pervading chill felt refreshing and crisp on her nearly overheated skin. Emma's feet mindlessly followed the well-known route to the town square. Granny's Diner was the only lighted establishment; the chimney already unfurling industrious grey smoke and the green and red fluorescent sign buzzed dimly beckoning customers. Emma heeded the call, deciding to stop in for coffee and donuts for the apartment.

When she entered the restaurant, it initialed appeared empty until she noticed one patron in the front corner. Leroy sat slouched with an empty coffee cup and his signature glower firmly in place. Normally if Leroy was awake this early it was because he was on a bender and hadn't gone to bed yet. But he didn't seem drunk as he rather calmly at his table. Emma looked at Ruby who was standing at the register with a questioning look. The waitress only comically shrugged as she approached. Emma greeted her, a little unsure, "Hey Red."

"Hey Em." Her lips curled into a smile, her lipstick emboldening the tired expression. "You're up early this morning."

"Yeah I-" Emma intended to give her a benign excuse like being out for a morning jog but she noticed the other woman's nostrils flare slightly. She remembered the hyper senses that Ruby had displayed when briefly helping her with Mary Margret's case and she could only guess that she was drenched in Regina's scent. "I thought I'd stop and get donuts on my way home. Can I have four bear-claws, three coffees, and a hot chocolate to go?"

"The donuts are still in the oven. Do you mind waiting a bit?"

Emma slid up onto a barstool. "Yeah, that's fine. Thanks."

Ruby took out two mugs from underneath the counter and poured herself and Emma a cup of coffee from the freshly brewed pot. Emma voiced her appreciation and dumped her usual amount of sugar and cream into the black beverage as Ruby did the same. Her friend rested her elbows on the countertop, having to bend her tall frame slightly awkwardly to accomplish it, and noted, "You seem in a better mood from yesterday."

"Yes, I suppose I am." Emma gave her an uncomfortable smile, not sure she could talk about what transpired between her and Regina.

"Good morning." Astrid suddenly appeared from behind the kitchen, the door swinging merrily behind her. She looked nervously thin in t-shirt that was too big with Granny's Diner printed on it in a script font. She assumed this was the regulation uniform, not the racy black top and red mini skirt she wore under her apron. Her voice frothed and bubbled with enthusiasm when she noticed Emma. "Hello, Sheriff Swan."

"Please, I'm just Emma when I'm in my pajamas." She flicked her wrist dismissively at her formal title.

"Emma." Astrid bobbed her head and giggled. Then something over Emma's shoulder caught her eye and she gasped a little. "Oh."

She self-consciously touched her hair, the mousy brown curls pulled back in a mostly neat bun. Grinning even wider, the former fairy shyly waved across the room. The blonde turned curiously to find Leroy looking more dopey than grumpy and waving back at her. The smile on his face could only be described as dreamy.

"Why don't you take the coffee pot over and see if he's ready to order." Ruby suggested. "He wasn't ready when I went by."

"Alright." The woman assented readily, picking up the carafe wandering over to the now eager customer. Emma watched in awe as they greeted each other moony looks and fluttering eyelashes, clearly love-struck.

"Granny let her work the dinner shift last night and he was here so long that she spilled iced tea on him 3 times."

"Oh my god." She uttered scandalized and turned her attention back to Ruby.

"And he didn't yell once."

Emma replied wryly. "Well it must be true love then."

Ruby laughed. "I'll drink to that."

She clinked her cup with Emma's and took a swig, the blonde mimicking her in agreement. There was a pause and Ruby looked pensively into her cup of swirling caramel liquid, "You know you could talk to be about it if you wanted to."

The sheriff froze and then took a moment to drain some more of her beverage before replying, "I didn't know if you would want to hear about me and the Evil Queen. You and Snow seemed close."

"I wouldn't go run and tell her anything you said. We're friends too Emma." She seemed upset that she would think otherwise.

"I know. Of course we're friends. Just with the curse breaking… I feel like I don't know who anybody is anymore."

"How can you say that?" The hurt in her features deepened.

"I'm sorry. I don't mean for it to sound like that. It's just that people are remembering entire life times that don't include me. I feel like everything I knew about them is wrong."

"I understand this whole thing is pretty confusing. But it doesn't negate the time we've spent together."

"How does it feel now that you remember who you are? Do remember being Ruby?"

"It's strange to think that Ruby is made up because she's still me. I'm still Ruby. Like I was always myself from the Enchanted Forest but now I know how to drive a car, and know great tips about winging your eyeliner."

"That sounds complicated."

"I'm getting used to it, like my mind is evening out." Red tapped a black-painted nail on the rim of her mug. "I think the biggest difference is that back in the Forest I was so worried about being good. I carried around a lot of guilt. I felt responsible for the death of someone I loved. I felt like a monster and it ruled everything I did… Here it all feels so far away. I can just be."

"That could be a good thing, right?"

"Yes and no." Then she said something surprising. "I imagine it's kind of how Regina feels right now."

"How do you mean?"

"Having the guilt all those years, it sort of became apart of me. With Regina, her revenge, the curse, it has been apart of her identity for so long. I know that it's good to let it go, but it still feels like you're losing yourself a little bit when it's finally gone."

Emma felt the truth in her words. For as long as she could remember, she was the abandoned girl. First her parents, then the Swans who were the first in a long succession of foster homes that sent her back to be a ward of the state, and then Neil, they all dumped her so that finally she started to leave before anyone else could. She held onto the resentment and isolation for so long. Then Henry had shown up on her doorstep with his cheeky grin, wanting her in his life unrelentingly, and her whole world shifted. She replied after thinking, "I understand. Before Henry came for me, I let my past to define me. I was the jaded loner. I still feel like that sometimes. Staying here had been the hardest and best thing I've done."

"For what it's worth I'm glad you stayed." Ruby placed her hand warmly over Emma's, then carefully broached. "How have you been since the curse broke?"

"Honestly, at first not great." She grimaced. "But I'm getting used to everything, the idea that a magical realm exists… The hardest part has been people wanting me to be this Savior. They get to remember they are heroes or warriors but I don't have a fantastic alter ego. I don't know if I can be who they need me to be."

"Emma, I'm so sorry if we've been demanding too much." Ruby apologized sincerely. "I guess we thought you'd be looking for us and come to the rescue. Nothing happened how we thought it would though."

"I think that is a sentiment we can all agree on." Emma sipped her coffee. " I mean look at those two. They're an odd pair."

The two people were still conversing in the corner and whenever Astrid giggled Leroy's cheeks would flush pink. Red nodded as she brought her cup to her lips. "Yeah, a fairy and a dwarf is unheard of in the forest."

"I was thinking more a nun and the town drunk."

"And the sheriff and the mayor?"

"I know it's hard to understand. Regina is the exact person I shouldn't pick but I'd pick her every time."

"When the curse hit, we were literally at war with the Evil Queen. It's strange to think she's not a threat anymore."

"She isn't you know, a threat." Emma blurted. "And at the end of the day, after all the bullshit we've been through, she makes me happy."

"I want that for you Emma. I really do. Not matter who it's with."

"Thank you Ruby. Sorry I mean-"

"It's okay. I don't mind either way." Then the waitress broke out in a salacious grin, leaning towards her conspiringly like she would before the curse broke and she had some savory gossip to dish. "So tell me about you and Regina because you two are scorching hot and I need the details."

Emma flushed, her mouth dropping open in shock at her bold inquisition. Before she had to answer, a stern voice cutting through the dinner saved her.

"Are you trying to burn my donuts girl?" Granny shouted from the kitchen and a moment later emerged with a scowl and a steaming hot tray of baked goods maybe a shade darker than usual but otherwise looking like perfection.

"Sorry Granny I-"

But before Red could finish her sentence Granny set her cantankerous sights upon someone else. "And Leroy you've been getting bacon and grits for the last 28 years, let my waitress take your order. We're about to be full in here in less than 10 minutes I don't have time for all this idle chit chat."

Astrid jumped to action, scurrying back into the kitchen while scribbling on her server's pad. Ruby was less intimidated as she rolled her eyes but reached behind her for the to go cups and started pouring the coffees for Emma. The elderly woman then shifted her attention to Emma, sounding gruff but more kindly, "Take an extra bear claw for later."

"Thanks, how did you know?" Emma grinned appreciatively.

"I may be too old to shift but I still have the wolf's ear." Granny winked.

Then a loud clattering sound could be heard from the back, having the woman huffing and muttering as she went to find the source of the ruckus. Ruby was capping off Henry's hot chocolate and getting it into the drink carrier as she dryly said. "You might want to stick around a bit longer. We may have a homicide in a minute."


	36. Swallow It Down

Snow White sat at her dining room table with a dainty cup of tea and wearing a pastel pink bathrobe, the skin underneath her eyes was still shadowed from sleep. Her normally tall, strapping husband Prince Charming was an undignified snoring lump on their bed in the corner.

Not for the first time in the past four days did Emma realize that their living arrangement was less than ideal. The open floor plan of the downstairs was too open, affording no privacy for the newly reunited couple. And while she loved having Henry living with them, her once cozy, lofted bedroom was getting cramped with his belongs and the air mattress that he threatened to out grow any day now. She stored away the thought to discuss later though as she held the procured baked goods and caffeine aloft. "I've brought breakfast."

Emma said in a hushed tone. Snow who had been watching her passively gave a tight-lipped smile and patted the table place across of her, wordlessly asking the blonde to sit with her. She obliged, though her stomach rolled with discomfort as she took the seat across from the other woman, shrugging off her coat to drape over the back of her chair. Mary Margaret set aside her tea and reached for her coffee Emma placed on the table, the name 'Snow' scrawled on the side in Ruby's loopy handwriting. Emma pulled hers from the carrier as well grateful that it was her second cup of the day.

"Thank you." Snow exhaled after taking a sip.

Emma dipped her head once and rolled her cup between her hands, "You're welcome."

"You went out again last night." Her measured tone only vaguely masked her judgment.

"Yes."

"Do you think it's appropriate for Henry to see his mother sneaking out of the house at odd hours?" The disapproval became more pronounced.

"Don't make this about Henry." Emma said pointedly. "If you have an issue with it then talk to me about it."

"Yes, I have an issue with you secretly dating my arch nemesis." Mary Margaret hissed quietly with a fleeting glance at David to ensure he had woken up.

"Well it's not a secret anymore." The blonde mumbled against the lid of her drink.

"Emma, be serious." She flopped dramatically back in her seat. "Regina can't be your True Love. She is a villain."

"Would you say that if my True Love were…" Her mind scrolled through the movies she'd seen as a kid. "I don't know, Captain Hook?"

"That's different. Regina has done nothing but hurt my family."

"Glad to know you would approve of me dating a pirate who tries to murder little boys." Emma sassed.

"Emma please-"

"Look, I'm sorry, okay?" Emma struggled to keep her volume low. "I'm sorry I'm such a disappointment."

The raven-haired woman stopped short at her abrupt apology. The dark expression accumulating in her brow dissipated as she asked, "Is that what you think?"

"Well, yeah. I guess I do." Her shoulders ticked up helplessly. Mary Margaret had been disappointed before the curse broke and ever since it felt like she had been letting her down.

A pale hand fluttered over hers, landing on it warmly like a bird settling on its nest. "You could never be a disappointment to me, to us. You've been through so much Emma. And I'm sorry. I'm so sorry you couldn't have the childhood you deserved. If I though there was another way…

Regret crystallized in her voice as she trailed off. Her eyes filled up with glittering diamond tears and she pulled her hand back to wipe them away. Snow gave her a quivering smile. "I will always be proud of you no matter what… I just hope that I stop disappointing you."

Now Emma was confused. "You think I'm disappointed?"

"You've been avoiding the apartment during the day and as soon as you get the chance you slip away to-" Her mother let the sentence go unfinished, the thought too bitter for her to complete.

"I haven't been avoiding you." Emma denied, and then conceded slightly. "At least not intentionally. I just don't know what to say to you anymore."

"We used to talk all the time Emma."

"I know. It's different now though like you said. I feel this expectation to be mother and daughter but… I can't just magically feel that… And I miss my friend." The blonde confessed, already internally flinching for the vivid display of hurt Snow was sure to give her. But she was surprised when the shorthaired woman sighed resignedly.

"And I miss being your friend."

"So can we agree to take a step back?" Emma offered, hope pulling her tone upward. "I'm not saying we'll never get there. I need more time though to adjust."

Snow angrily pouted. "You don't seem to need time to adjust with Regina."

"How Regina and I are working through this is our business." She said firmly. "And it might be hard to hear and I'm sorry but it's easier with her. When the curse broke, nothing really changed between us. I know you remember that she's the Evil Queen but to me she's still Regina."

And comfortingly, she was still just Emma to her. Mary Margaret didn't allow much time for the soothing thought as she snapped, "Regina who kept your son away from you, who held the Huntsman and Kathryn prisoner, who tired to have me wrongfully convicted of murder."

"I haven't forgotten. But I understand more now. I see more now." Emma remembered the painful feeling of rage and unfairness pounding in her temples in the prior weeks as Regina plotted against them. However, it all made more sense now that she knew the truth. There were times when they had been arguing and Regina was lying through her teeth but there were these distilled moments of truth. When she spoke of Mary Margaret destroying her last life, she hadn't been referring to Kathryn. Emma remembered the dismal tale Regina weaved two nights ago and the man named Daniel and echoed the words Regina had said to her what felt like so long ago after Mary Margaret's arrest. "A broken heart will make you do unspeakable things."

"I don't know if I'll ever understand." She shook her head.

"I'm not asking you to understand. I don't understand why you put me in that wardrobe." Snow looked ready to interject but Emma raised her voice as much as she dared to emphasize her point. "But I accept that it's what you had to do. And I could spend the next 28 years being pissed off about it but I can't keep tallying the injustices because no one will ever win that way. I want us to all move forward."

The brunette gave a little helpless shrug and evasively replied. "I guess we all need some time to adjust."

"Yeah." Emma nodded, her fingers restless picking at the cardboard sleeve around her cup.

"And with the tribunal tomorrow." Their eyes met as Snow continued solemnly. "I'm sorry but I can't ignore the past. You understand that don't you?"

No was Emma's immediate and fuming thought. She didn't understand how her friend could so willfully ignore her perspective. Instead she bit back the hurt and said tightly. "We all have to do what we need to."

They both looked away and let the silence stretch between them. The conversation felt like they had gone one step forward and two steps back. Then a high-pitched yawn sounded from the top of the stairs as if a trumpet proclaimed an eminent arrival. Henry's bare feet sleepily plodded down the steps and Mary Margaret put on a cheery smile for him as he came into view.

"Good morning Henry."

"Morning." He mumbled then perked up at the sight of a Granny's take out bag. "Are those donuts?"

"Yeah kid." Emma tried to manage a smile. "And a hot chocolate."

She held up his beverage and he scampered the rest of the way downstairs, happily taking the chair next to Emma. As Henry dug into the paper bag it crinkled loudly. David suddenly sat up in bed as if startled, gasping something that sounded like 'gingerbread man.' Snow and Henry giggled at his disheveled appearance and Emma took a drink of her coffee, wincing as she swallowed. It was still so hot that it scalded her tongue. David sheepishly got up from the bed to join them for breakfast. Bear-claws were distributed around. Smiles were shared.

Emma kept swallowing it all down.


	37. Summoned

The day slipped by too quickly, like sand running between her fingers too fast and shapeless to catch. Emma turned onto her side in another futile attempt to get comfortable but it wasn't the squishy mattress or plethora of throw pillows that thwarted her slumber. Still she shoved some of the pink lace-trimmed pillow to the ground with an accusing scowl for good measure.

She flopped onto her back again and shut her eyes, trying desperately to let the blankness of unconsciousness take hold. Her mind had other ideas though, instead replaying the conversation she had with Snow that morning on repeat. Each time the scenario ran through, Emma would think of something different she could have said, something that would have made everything all right. But even in her imagination Mary Margaret remained unchanged.

Taking a deep breath Emma purposefully switched her thoughts to something more calming, specifically an image of Regina. Her soft umber hair, sparkling dark eyes, the challenging arch of her brow, full red lips curled in a serene smile all clicking into place to create the perfect picture. The mayor was probably in her bed as well, wrapped in downy blankets and sleep. Emma felt a tug as she wished the other woman were here with her. The blonde then felt her chest glowing warm with the thought. Suddenly there was a cloud of silvery white smoke and the bed dipped like another person joined her. Emma blinked a few times before she realized what had happened.

"Regina? What are you doing here?" She frantically whispered as the woman, who a moment ago was just in her thoughts, appeared sitting up in bed beside her and blinking owlishly. Emma scrambled to get upright and her eyes automatically looked to the blackness where the stairs dropped off to the lower floor as if her parents could come up at any moment.

"What am I doing here? I haven't the slightest idea. _You_ summoned _me_ Ms. Swan." Came the quiet but indignant reply from the woman who seemed a little out of sorts at having been magicked away from her bed in the middle of the night. She ran her hands over her hair, her own gaze glancing nervously to the staircase as well. However, Emma immediately forgot about being discovered as she absorbed Regina's statement.

"I did?"

"You did." Regina nodded. "Quite an impressive bit of magic for a novice."

Emma opened and shut her mouth a couple times before words came out. "I didn't mean to. I mean I don't know how to."

"What were you thinking before I arrived?"

"Just that I wished you were here with me."

Regina hummed thoughtfully as Emma considered the bit of magic she'd managed. She recalled when the fuming purple cloud came rolling down the street; it had been as if she were crushed by an ocean wave. The feeling of something rushing over her, dizzily pulling her under to an unknown depth was frightening and exciting all at once. Her hands shining with a dazzling light had been the only outward sign of any changed but since then she hadn't felt any different. She felt the fear and exhilaration all over again. Then Regina's voice nudged her out of her of her thoughts. "Well I'm here now."

"Yes, you are." Emma grinned a little in awe, reaching out through the dark to graze her fingers along the older woman's jaw line. Regina brought her hand up to cover Emma's as they both leaned in until their foreheads came to rest against each other's. The blonde breathed in the other woman's sweet scent, like spices and amber and maybe the moon. Regina always smelled wonderful but now Emma had memories and emotions tied to it causing comfort and affection to well strongly in her. She slowly pulled in another long breath.

The brunette seemed to breathe in deeply as well. "So why am I here? …You seem upset."

Emma didn't bother to question how she would know that. She just sighed, "I had a talk with Snow this morning."

"And it didn't go well?"

"It went." Emma drew back slightly.

"Well that really clarifies things."

"We agreed to start off with being friends, which was good." Emma bit her lip. "But other things, not so good."

Regina placed a hand on her lower back and waited patiently for her to elaborate. Emma huffed, feeling the irritation swirling back up in her like dust in a windstorm. "She called you a villain. She says she doesn't understand how I feel. And when she talked about the trial tomorrow… She said that she couldn't let go of the past and asked for _me_ to understand. But I don't understand. I don't understand how she could sacrifice my life and then deny me this one thing."

"If it hadn't been for me she wouldn't have needed to sacrifice you." Her voice was small with sorrow.

"Or if Rumplestiltskin hadn't created the curse or if your mother hadn't forced you into being the queen or if there hadn't been a damned run away horse." Emma said adamantly. "You can place the blame wherever you want but I don't care about that. I don't want to blame you or her or anyone anymore."

"I am sorry Emma." Regina beseeched, her eyes bright with grief. "I don't regret a lot of it but the one thing I do regret is hurting you and Henry. I was so focused on getting my revenge. I was blind to anything else."

"Hey." Emma wrapped her arm around Regina's shoulders, her hand tenderly finding her cheek again. "I know and it's okay. Everyone is saying how much I've overcome but you Regina… You've had just as much shit to get through."

"Still I manipulated Henry just like my mother did to me." The older woman lamented. "I don't know how he could ever forgive me."

"And I left him just like my parents did to me. But I'm here now. And even before the curse broke you were ready to tell him the truth. If there is one thing I've learned about Henry it's that he has the biggest heart I know. If he can forgive me for giving him up, then he will forgive you."

Regina pressed forward and brushed her lips against Emma's, murmuring softly against them, "Thank you."

They kissed delicately; tongue meeting almost shyly then slipping away. Regina entwined her fingers through her blonde waves as Emma held her closer, savoring the slow intimacy of it. Just as the brunette sucked her lower lip more greedily and a steady heat began to blossom in her stomach, Henry grunted in his sleep and both women froze. They listened as he rustled around a little and then settled back down.

Emma dared to whisper. "Should we be more worried about waking him up?"

"No. A freight train could come through and he'd sleep through it."

"He doesn't get that from me." She yawned, the lumbering feeling of sleep finally, thankfully coming over her. She laid down pulling the other woman along with her. Regina didn't resist, tucking herself into her side and throwing her leg over Emma's hip.

"He's your son in other ways." Regina briefly kissed her jaw. "Like how much he loves hot chocolate."

Emma smiled, feeling as if she were floating, adding drowsily. "He's your son too you know. Like how stubborn he is."

"No, that's you too." She scoffed. Then after a moment she continued gingerly. "Maybe some day be could be our son."

"I like the sound of that." She said as the glowing feeling returned to her chest, the magic and hope was expanding and warm. Emma hadn't realized she was drifting off until Regina's voice jolted her slightly from the tentative lull.

"I should go back home."

"No. Just a few more minutes." The blonde insisted with sleep slurred speech. She turned on her side, legs naturally tangled with the other woman's and held on a little tighter. Regina burrowed into her neck, her fingertips lightly tracing patterns over her collarbone.

Emma only half listened, feeling like she was far away, as Regina agreed quietly. "A few more minutes."

/

When the savior woke the next morning, Regina had gone but the space next to her was still warm.


	38. The Tribunal

"How many leather jackets do you own?" Regina glared at Emma who stood on her front porch wearing, this time, a black leather jacket. Truthfully, she liked the ensemble; the younger women looked sexy and little edgier with her normally cascading curls swept up into a ponytail. Underneath, she could just catch a glimpse of the emerald blouse Emma had worn when she seduced her in her office and she discovered a particular fondness for the article of clothing.

"I don't know. How many trench coats do you own?" Emma volleyed back eyeing her navy Burberry trench she'd just pulled over her wool gray dress.

Her eyebrow ticked up. "Touché."

"You ready for this?"

"Yes. I don't have much of a choice, do I?"

"Okay. Let's go." Emma didn't loiter as she turned on her heel and walked away, leaving her to follow to the waiting Volkswagen. The blonde appeared as nervous and uncertain as Regina felt on the inside, Emma's gaze shifting restlessly, and her fingers drumming against the steering wheel as they cruised silently through the streets toward the center of town. They left much unsaid, holding onto the stoicism they had always relied upon. The sheriff had composed herself by the time she parked along the curb in front of town hall. A hard defiant look in her eyes and shoulders squared confidently.

There was a group of townsfolk milling around stone steps of the government building though not as many as Regina had expected to be. And they stood solemnly unlike the raving, angry mob from five days ago, curiosity blinking in their eyes, as they seemed to speak in hushed tones amongst themselves like a flock of misplaced pigeons.

"Wait there." Emma said briefly as she got out of the car and jogged around to the passenger side. She opened the door and let Regina step out, meanwhile keeping her sights on the crowd, she imagined in case there was any trouble. She gently held onto Regina's elbow, her touch more comforting than leading as they walked toward the door. A man broke from the pack and approached them, she tensed but Emma didn't.

"Sheriff Swan." He greeted her and Regina recognized him as Michael Tillman, Nicholas and Ava's father.

"Mr. Tillman." The younger woman shook his hand. "How are Hansel and Ava?"

"They're good. Thank you for letting them stay with Henry and Mr. Booth."

The blonde nodded in acknowledgment. "Ready to go in?"

"Yeah." He bobbed his head anxiously. "I think everyone else has already arrived."

Emma gestured for him to go ahead and they followed close behind, ignoring the inquisitive looks as the passed up the stairs.

Regina nearly laughed at the scene laid out in the nearly empty auditorium. On the modest platform seven figures sat with ceremonial dignity though the effect was lost to the fact they were seated on metal folding chairs. The people looked his like were taking themselves too seriously, putting on royal airs, despite being dressed in a variety of ordinary cardigans or flannel. On the far left Snow White held her head high with the grace of a princess and her seeming favorite pink sweater, on her right was David with a grim expression on his face. Granny was on his other side with her granddaughter standing at attention by her shoulder. Then the dour looking Blue Fairy and Dr. Hopper followed by Doc and finally Geppetto all stared at her waiting to pass their judgment. The podium had been moved to the side in favor of a small table with a scale placed ominously on the surface; the gleaming gold trays proudly balanced.

The Huntsman was in attendance as well. He leaned causally against the wall in the back of the room, his wolf familiar lying at his feet, the pair simply acting as witnesses to the proceedings. He saluted to Emma as they passed and the animal lifted her head from the ground with interest at their arrival. Mr. Tillman shuffled down the center aisle and hurriedly took a seat on the left side in the front row, seemingly afraid like he was on trial himself. Regina schooled her face into a cool mask of indifference as she glided down the row though her heart thudded uncomfortably against her ribs with a sickening heat coiling in her stomach. She took the seat that mirrored Mr. Tillman's on the right while Emma remained standing beside her, arms crossed tensely over her chest.

Snow cleared her throat as she began what probably was a prepared monologue, "Now that everyone and the accused is present I will start by explaining the rules of the tribunal. We shall use the scale to cast our votes. Everyone on the high council will get one stone. All the stones weigh the same as everyone's vote carries the same weight. The representative of the people will get three stones since the will of the people should carry the most weight. Now, does the accused have anything to say in her defense?"

Regina froze a moment. She hadn't thought that she would be allowed to speak and now her mind hummed blank for a second. There was nothing she could say to these people that would change their opinions now. This trial was merely a formality, delaying the inevitable moment when she banished as guilty. She took a steadying breath to make her final declaration, "No. I cast the curse and I can't regret it. I found I could love again with Henry and then I- I fell in love… And I will never regret that. If that makes me guilty, than so be it."

Snow's lips twitched at her at audacious words, her nose flared in agitation and she barked. "Fine. We will proceed. Jiminy if you would pass out the stones."

The cricket of a man produced a brown pouch and rushed to the princess to present the bag to her. She reached in and pulled out a piece of white marble sanded down to a flat oval. He then went down the line, each person dipping their hand in to retrieve the gem. Archie hopped off the stage and extended the pouch to Emma but the Blue Fairy spoke out shrilly, "Emma isn't on the high council."

The room stood still until Snow proclaimed calmly. "She is my daughter. Of course she is on the council."

The sheriff warily accepted her token, squeezing it tightly in her fist. Dr. Hopper dumped the rest of the stones in Michael's hands and scurried back to his seat. The raven-haired princess rose from her chair and strode to the scale at center stage. She continued to talk in her slightly lofted voice. "To vote guilty markers will be place on the left, not guilty on the right. I will begin… Regina for your crimes against my family I find you guilty."

She stared fiercely at Regina and dropped her stone onto the left tray. The balance sunk heavily against her. As she returned to her place, David stood walking steadily to cast his vote. He echoed his wife's words. "Regina for your crimes against my family I find you guilty."

As he took his spot back next to Snow, the Widow Lucas remained unmoving in her seat, eyes straightforward. She announced solidly. "I defer my vote to my granddaughter Red."

"Eugenia-" Snow started in protest but the elderly woman cut her off.

"No, I'm a bitter, old war dog. It shouldn't be up to me to decide. It should be for the young to make the choices for the future." Granny said unwaveringly. She looked over her shoulder and addressed Ruby, her expression wide with shock. "Go on girl. Whatever you decide is right by me."

Tentatively taking up the burden of pale rock, the younger woman stood before the balance and paused as she deliberated. Finally her voice floated out, small but firm. "I know what it is like to lose someone you love, to be responsible for that. And I wouldn't wish that on anyone. I won't be responsible for another love lost. I vote not guilty."

A thrill shivered up Regina's spine as the wolf girl nodded in deference to Emma. She delicately placed her piece of marble on the right, the scale barely wobbling from the guilty verdict. Ruby stepped away to rejoin her grandmother, avoiding the glowering look from the Blue Fairy as her marched to the little table. She began with talking with righteous conviction. "The Evil Queen is and will always remain evil. We must stop her now when we still have the chance. I find her unequivocally guilty."

The queen could feel Emma prickling with anger at her words and the left side fell further down.

The fairy stalked away and Archie took his turn, spinning his stone pensively in his fingers as he walked up. He shoved a hand in his pocket, rocking a little on his feet and started thoughtfully. "We've all walked on dark paths before, myself included… But I truly believe that love can redeem us. I can't in good conscience deny anyone a chance at that. Not long ago Emma and I talked about ending a war and figuring out the best way to do that and I believe this is it. Regina, I find you not guilty."

He put his vote with Ruby's bringing the total three to two. The difference rapidly grew against her however as Doc and Geppetto placed their markers on the left with little fanfare, the five guilty ruling so heavy now that the tray nearly touched the table. Emma took her cue, leaving her post by Regina, and made her way to the stage. Her boot clipped at a reluctantly pace like a somber tempo on a metronome. She stopped to the right of the scale staring at the device for a long moment. Then shining jade eyes turned to lock onto Regina's, her voice hoarse, "I love her. And that should be enough."

The blonde set her vote on the right but the scale didn't flinch. It wouldn't be enough. A single tear slid down the queen's cheek in mourning for all that she was about to lose. Emma wiped at her face, jumping of the short platform to realign herself with Regina. Her hand came to rest on her shoulder and Regina covered it with her own to anchor it there.

Snow made a little ahem noise, pointedly ignoring their contact, "Mr. Tillman, if you would cast the final vote please."

The man stood slowly to finally take his turn behind the scale. He took a deep breath. "When Sheriff Swan asked me to be the representative for the citizen vote, I didn't understand. I thought anyone could stand up here and vote for the guilty verdict. I mean, she has admitted as much that she cast the curse. But the Sheriff asked me to talk to the people, and I have a lot these past few days."

Michael shifted his weight nervously as he continued. "People talked a lot about injustices and hardships… but not from here, not from Storybrooke. It was in the Enchanted Forest. The Evil Queen may have cast this as a curse, but in many ways it's improved our lives. I know for myself, and many people agree, we wouldn't want to go back. I can provide for my children here. They won't go to bed hungry and there are good doctors for when they are sick… We have a chance at a better life."

He looked back to Snow and David. "Your highnesses, you sacrificed your daughter for us and we will always be grateful for that. People don't trust the Queen, not yet, but they trust Emma, just like you trusted her to save us all those years ago. She brought back the happy endings and we want to return the favor. For the people, I cast the vote of not guilty."

He dropped the white stones onto the tray, the pieces clattered noisily against the gold metal, and the balance swung dramatic with the new weight. The right side sank lower, six to five, proclaiming her innocence by one vote.

Regina had barely been able to perceive what Mr. Tillman had been saying, could barely understand what her eyes were seeing. She turned up her astonished gaze to Emma who had been squeezing the hell out of her shoulder. The blonde looked back with equal amazement, her chest moving up and down heavily as if catching her breath. A flood of adrenaline scorched her veins and Regina could feel herself shaking. She rose from her chair, hands finding purchase on Emma's hips. The sheriff's arms fell around her neck as they held each other in wonder. The fear that this would all vanish in an instant faded away. The brunette dropped her gaze to Emma's enticing lips. They were so close she only needed to lean forward a scarce inch to close the distance but she knew all eyes were on them at them and she hesitated. Emma, on the other hand, didn't care as kissed Regina ecstatically. The relief was palpable in the kiss, demanding confirmation of that they were not be to separate, which Regina gave into readily.

"This is a mistake!" A voice sliced viciously through the air. Pulling away, Regina looked to the source, feeling dazed. Her eyes landed on the Blue Fairy who stood with fuming rage. "You're making a mistake. That woman is not as innocent as you think."

Emma scanned the people above them who watched them uncomprehending and distraught. The sheriff said after a moment. "Well maybe she isn't as guilty as you think."

"Can you get us out of here?" She asked Regina quietly. The queen ticked her head down once in affirmation. Focusing on the feeling of Emma in her arms, and the happiness swelled; her magic exploded outward in her chest and they were pulled away in a puff of purple smoke.

"Whoa." Emma muttered as they landed in Regina's bedroom.

Once away from the condemning, unwelcoming stares of the high council, Regina collapsed like a house made of straw. She fell into Emma's frame, pressing her face into her neck and let out an undignified sob.

"Hey, it's okay." Emma soothed, directing them so they sat on the end of the bed. She rubbed her hands up and down the brunette's shuddering back. "It's alright. We're alright."

The younger woman held her tightly and let her cry; the emotions she'd been suppressing all day came flooding to the surface. Regina forced words out between her hiccupping breaths, "I thought I was going to lose you."

"I know. I know." Emma hummed. "But you haven't. You're not going anywhere. I'm not going anywhere."

Eventually the tears subsided and her breathing steadied. Lifting her head, she was met with by dewy meadow eyes looking at her with adoration. Emma cupped her face, running her thumbs over her cheeks to wipe away the traces of wetness there. Regina felt her breath get taken away just as she'd regained it. "Emma, I've never really said… You have to know- I love you."

The smile Emma gave her was painfully beautiful. "I love you too."

And they kissed. They kissed without the dread that this one may be there last. Emma nipped at her lower lip and she craved more. She wanted the entire woman as she shoved off her jacket. Emma pawed off her coat as well, hands immediate tracing the curves accentuated by her dress. Her own hand slipped under her green top to feel the soft skin there.

Regina pushed Emma to lie on her back, taking a moment to admire how gorgeous she truly was. Her finger stroked along Emma's part lips, the blond kissing the tips reverently. Her breathing hitched from the sensation and the thought she had. "You know there will be people who aren't happy about us. This is far from over."

Emma gave her a strange little grin, the light in her eyes undiminished. "I know it's not over. It's just the beginning."


	39. Epilogue: Snapshot

The morning sunlight bounced happily off the white walls and the white curtains of her bedroom giving everything a magical illumination and Emma Swan looked absolutely magical. Her blonde curls splayed across the pillows like strands of gold, cheeks rosy, and pink lips parted slightly in sleep. She wore one of Regina's camisoles, white with pretty princess lace dancing across her chest.

Regina watched her peacefully entranced. Then an idea occurred to her. Carefully, she slid out from the sheets, taking the utmost care to not awaken Emma. Tiptoeing to her bureau, she opened a top drawer and took out an older model camera. It had been stored away for a while now. The half shot roll of film stopped abruptly after Henry's first day of 5th grade; that had been the last time he'd let her take his picture.

She went back to the younger woman, still unaware, and lined up a shot. The camera clicked softly as it took a picture. Regina adjusted the frame and managed a couple more before Emma stirred. "Regina?"

She snapped one more photo before the other woman caught on and hands instinctively flying up and ruining the picture. "God Regina, stalk much. I probably look a mess."

The queen sat on the bed next to her, moving her hands out of the way to brush her hair. "You look beautiful."

The pink in her cheeks deepened as she sat up. "Let me see."

Regina allowed her to take the camera, turning it over to inspect it. "I'd nearly forgotten you liked to take photographs."

"I like to capture the things I love."

Emma raised the viewfinder to her eye and directed the lens at the brunette. She gave her a shy, sleepy smile as the other woman snapped a photo of her. She lowered the camera. "You're beautiful."

"Here." Regina extended her hand. "I'll put it away."

"Wait, no. Take a picture with me."

"It's not the kind of camera you take selfies with Ms. Swan." She rolled her eyes.

"I know that. Please, just to try?"

"Alright." Regina took the device and Emma tucked in behind her. The older woman felt silly, holding the camera out and smiling. She took the picture. Then she felt Emma kiss her cheek, moving her lips against her jaw. She took another picture. Turning into the feathery touch, Regina's lips found Emma's. She took a final picture before blindly setting the camera onto the nightstand. Their mouths moving more insistently against one another's as the slumber drained from them, replacing with a smoldering desire.

"I hope you're not getting this pictures developed at the pharmacy." Emma mumbled between kisses.

"I have a dark room in the basement." Regina said breathily as the blonde sucked the skin on her neck.

"Really?"

Regina palmed her breast. "Yes, next to the dungeon."

"Oh god, shut up." She gasped now wholly distracted by Regina. Her fingers unbuttoned her pajama top to reveal her full breast. Emma moved her worshipping kisses down the column of the brunette's rapidly beating neck, stopping once she reached Regina's chest. She lapped at her peaked breasts causing Regina to whimper as she dragged her teeth lightly over a stiff nipple. Emma lavish attention on her chest until the queen began pushing down on her shoulders, nearly panting with need.

She finally continued her journey downward as she teased around Regina's belly button then hooked her fingers around the waistband of her sleep short to remove the last barrier. She teased the inside of Regina's thighs with licks and soft bites. The brunette groaned, "Emma please."

As her tongue abruptly delved into Regina's silky folds they simultaneously moaned, Emma into heated flesh and Regina into the still bedroom, filling the space with her noises of appreciation. Emma's tongue painted long strokes up and down her sex, slow and deliberate at first. Her movements gradually became more purposeful until her tongue was thrumming repeatedly against Regina's aching clit. The brunette began rocking her hips erratically into the hot mouth between her legs, her orgasm spiraling outward, a galaxy of stars twinkling and spinning behind her eyes.

She felt Emma place sporadic kisses up her body until their lips connected once more, tasting her arousal on them. Looking up in awe at the woman hovering above her she murmured distantly. "I didn't know."

"Didn't know what?" Emma kissed the shell of her ear and Regina shivered.

"I didn't know all of this was just a kiss away."

/

Author's Note:

Hello all, thanks for reading my story if you've made it this far :)

I feel finished with this title so I'm letting it stand complete as is. I'm going to take a little break but I do have ideas for a second installment.

If you'd be interested in this story continuing please drop me a line. I'd love to hear your opinions.

Also, it anyone would be interested in helping to edit the story let me know :)

Thanks so much! All the best,  
papervalentine


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